1
00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:15,120
If you were a soldier in the northern part of the Roman Empire, what could be worse?

2
00:00:15,420 --> 00:00:19,620
looking at the holes in Emperor Hadrian's wall,

3
00:00:19,780 --> 00:00:24,520
or be tucked away in a watchtower in the Netherlands, overlooking the Rhine.

4
00:00:24,650 --> 00:00:26,560
the main freight route to England.

5
00:00:26,700 --> 00:00:31,360
Here in Utrecht, archaeologists made incredible discoveries.

6
00:00:31,860 --> 00:00:35,740
what life was like here at the front,

7
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,240
and how hard the army had to work to keep the goods route to England open.

8
00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:45,720
Time Team has been asked to help tell this story.

9
00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,640
And I will tell you why we are so enthusiastic.

10
00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,720
That's because one of the excavations in the next three days, 

11
00:00:53,820 --> 00:00:56,560
is a well-preserved Roman boat.

11
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,000
this is my first and last translation I do.

11
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,000
it turned out there were more than 30 hours of work in an episode. pfff

11
00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,000
Despite my poor language skills, I hope you enjoy the translation.

11
00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,000
If you like this special episode of Time Team recorded in the Netherlands, there are more than 200 episodes recorded in England.

11
00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,000
personal names have been changed for privacy.

11
00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,000
enjoy watching

12
00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,880
Utrecht in the Netherlands was once part of the northern part of the Roman Empire.

13
00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:40,620
Which stretched from Hadrian's Wall in Scotland

14
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,060
all the way to the Black Sea.

15
00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,860
In the Netherlands the border followed the river Rhine,

16
00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,520
which was the main route for goods and soldiers to England.

17
00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:56,800
the island on the edge of the known world.

18
00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:02,320
Amazingly, many stories of this have been preserved in the watery areas of Utrecht.

19
00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,750
Even as the River Rhine now flows much further south.

20
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In anticipation of one of the largest construction projects in Europe

21
00:02:11,820 --> 00:02:19,500
archaeologists will have the opportunity to investigate the area before 30,000 new houses are built.

22
00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,440
This drawing is based on their biggest discovery yet.

23 
00:02:24,540 --> 00:02:30,520
Including Roman watchtowers, fortresses and border roads all built along the Rhine River.

24
00:02:32,220 --> 00:02:35,320
You've discovered some amazing preserved things here.

25
00:02:35,420 --> 00:02:39,020
But what do you actually need us for? You've done a good job here.

26
00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:45,080
Well...after a few years of Roman archeology we still have some problems that we hope to solve.

27
00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:50,440
Do you still have time for it with all the construction activities that are almost overwhelming you?

28
00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:56,740
To be honest it is the last chance for Roman archaeology, the buildings come very close.

29
00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:01,060
Ok, so we don't have much time...mention What would you like us to do for you?

30
00:03:01,190 --> 00:03:06,520
Well we have this sand field location, there we have a collection of amateur finds,

31
00:03:06,820 --> 00:03:09,790
and some tasting locations nearby, which indicate a military location.

32
00:03:09,990 --> 00:03:10,950
but we're not sure.

33
00:03:11,150 --> 00:03:13,500
you said two problems.

34
00:03:13,700 --> 00:03:15,440
yes there is another problem here,

35
00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,080
that's this riverbed here where we unearthed a roman ship a few years ago. 

36
00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,020
but after his excavation we have now found another one.

37
00:03:23,150 --> 00:03:25,560
and it's still there, and we want to know its age.

38
00:03:25,620 --> 00:03:27,840
so it wasn't dug up?

39
00:03:27,980 --> 00:03:31,200
no, it hasn't been dug up, it's still here, a few meters away.

40
00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,400
none of us could believe it. 

41
00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:38,080
Buried just two meters underground is an intact Roman boat.

42
00:03:38,190 --> 00:03:40,520
where is the pointy part of the boat?

43
00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,060
we found one end of the ship about here.

44
00:03:43,260 --> 00:03:47,000
and we expect it to extend 30 meters to that side.

45
00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,400
30 meters??? then it runs straight through the trees.

46
00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,600
yes, deep down then.

47
00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:56,060
the ship goes very steeply towards this direction.

48
00:03:56,260 --> 00:04:01,720
rens, look, this ground is so dry, why do you think the ship is still well preserved in the ground?

49
00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:08,060
Well I hope it is still good, it was still good 2 years ago with the same conditions.

50
00:04:08,260 --> 00:04:12,760
it's protected by groundwater, the water table is about that deep.

51
00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,820
OK, we have to find him first then?

52
00:04:15,990 --> 00:04:22,040
we know where he is mate, look we have a digger so let's use it.

53
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:31,520
Rens and Stef discovered the boat 2 years ago, but they had little time so they only excavated a small part.

54
00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,320
our goal is to determine how old the boat is.

55
00:04:35,580 --> 00:04:40,320
Personally, I can't wait to see the first glimpse of a real Roman boat.

56
00:04:40,540 --> 00:04:47,000
but we're also going to help find out what happened in the sandfield area ahead.

57
00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,880
Stef and Rens also found a Roman watchtower in this area,

58
00:04:52,020 --> 00:04:57,000
but because of the many potsherds in this area they also expect a small Roman fort here.

59
00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:02,320
they hope that the geophys can determine the location for them.

60
00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:08,240
Roman forts were built half a day's march apart. and several have been investigated.

61
00:05:09,060 --> 00:05:13,440
the excavations here at the Alphen fortress yielded many beautifully preserved Roman coins, 

62
00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,040
that tell a story in themselves.

63
00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:25,000
the forts were thought to have been built by emperor claudius on his way to conquering england in ad 43.

64
00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:33,480
but surprisingly, the coins showed that Emperor Caligula had already strengthened the trade route a few years earlier.

65
00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:42,400
It was an enormous amount of Caligula coins that were found here, as many as 400 pieces from 41 AD.

66
00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,720
So, what was Caligula doing here?

66
00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:50,160
He was the third Roman Emperor and he reigned for only 4 years, from 37 to 41 AD.

67
00:05:50,460 --> 00:05:58,200
he was keen to continue the successes of his father, who was a general in this area.

68
00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:03,240
the only problem, however, was that Caligula was slightly demented and a murderous maniac.

69
00:06:03,540 --> 00:06:08,760
so he had made preparations to conquer England.

70
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but he suddenly decided to conquer the sea

71
00:06:11,620 --> 00:06:13,520
and he did this by telling his soldiers to get the shells from the sea.

72
00:06:13,820 --> 00:06:15,380
So he basically just went back to Rome?

73
00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:17,200
that's what he did....

74
00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:18,060
with the seashells?

75
00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:20,080
yes exactly...

76
00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:24,560
And of course the Roman populus was not impressed with his military achievements and he was fired.

77
00:06:24,860 --> 00:06:26,750
but he did leave something behind. 

78
00:06:27,050 --> 00:06:30,160
namely, all necessary preparations for the invasion of England.

79
00:06:30,500 --> 00:06:35,520
but this Caliguan coin has more to say, because it is stamped with Cladius's name.


80
00:06:36,060 --> 00:06:47,320
he minted the coins with his name because after Caliguan's death the coins with Caliguan were no longer valid.

81
00:06:47,620 --> 00:06:50,000
However, with Cladius' knock the coin is valid again.

82
00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:55,640
this means the coins were used in both the failed invasion

83
00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:57,800
as in the successful invasion?

84
00:06:58,100 --> 00:07:02,000
exactly Caliguan has made all the preparations for the invasion.

85
00:07:02,300 --> 00:07:09,880
If you looked here in 43 AC you would see thousands of soldiers, equipment and boats ready for an invasion of England.

86
00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,040
just like on D-DAY in 1944.

87
00:07:13,340 --> 00:07:15,560
and of course all those soldiers had to be paid.

88
00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,880
three of the four garrisons for the invasion came from the Rhine area.

89
00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,400
that's 15,000 men alone.

90
00:07:21,740 --> 00:07:22,680
are we sure?

91
00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:24,720
yes that is a fact.

92
00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,760
but proving that there was a fort in the sandfield area will not be easy.

93
00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:38,930
Tony our problem is that a lot of rubbish will be dumped on that side of the ditch in the coming weeks.

94
00:07:38,940 --> 00:07:40,640
yes, we only have a few weeks actually.

95
00:07:40,940 --> 00:07:43,160
so we now want to see which Roman finds have been found before.

96
00:07:43,420 --> 00:07:49,840
on this side there are 2 fields with permission, but only 1 digging spot is allowed.

97
00:07:50,140 --> 00:07:53,000
so we're going to look at this field with the geophys.

98
00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:55,000
and also the other field.

99
00:07:55,300 --> 00:07:57,020
but we won't make a decision on where to dig until both geophyses are done.

100
00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:01,000
So until then we're going to sit around twiddling our thumbs until the geophys is ready?

101
00:08:01,300 --> 00:08:03,000
no, we're going to start with a digging spot on the other side.

102
00:08:03,100 --> 00:08:05,240
okay, perfect.

103
00:08:09,540 --> 00:08:11,820
with the first digging spot on the way on the sand field site,

104
00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,280
I'm going to check how Phil is getting on with finding the Roman boat

105
00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:18,960
Phil?

106
00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:18,960
YO!

107
00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,000
Is this the stuff Rens was talking about last night?

108
00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,280
yes this is the plastic that is placed directly over the boat.

109
00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:33,320
this plastic sheet was placed to keep the earth moist, and the boat protected until the excavation begins.

110
00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:35,080
look, and there she is!  

111
00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,640
look at that!

112
00:08:37,940 --> 00:08:39,280
can I join you Phil?

113
00:08:39,580 --> 00:08:42,280
Yep, come and have a look.

114
00:08:42,580 --> 00:08:48,000
just take a look here. as hard as stone.

115
00:08:49,660 --> 00:08:52,760
come on, you're having fun, aren't you?

115
00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:54,000
yes for sure.

116
00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,080
That could only have been in the ground for 5 years?

117
00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:58,640
you know it's been there for 2000 years..

118
00:08:58,940 --> 00:09:00,080
great huh?

119
00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:07,000
That's the beauty, isn't it? it's not just a piece of wood, but it's a boat.

120
00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,560
people have also seen this boat. but there is still so much we don't know about it.

121
00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:15,200
At this rate we will have the boat back in the water on Friday.

121
00:09:17,860 --> 00:09:22,520
the boat that Rens and Stef have already dug up was found a short distance from here.

122
00:09:22,820 --> 00:09:25,840
and is the same type that we are now excavating.

123
00:09:26,140 --> 00:09:29,200
it means we know our boat should look something like this.

124
00:09:29,420 --> 00:09:34,720
This is the Zwammerdam type boat named after the place where it was first found.

125
00:09:34,820 --> 00:09:41,220
these flat-bottomed boats were used by the army and independent traders for freight transport on the Rhine.

126
00:09:41,850 --> 00:09:46,560
most like this were used until the 200s AD.

127
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:53,520
but according to Rens this is much earlier, which really excites the archaeologists.

128
00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:05,880
the conservation of wood is so exceptional here in the Netherlands,

129
00:10:06,180 --> 00:10:11,280
that Gruno has sneaked out to view the exceptional finds from the river bottoms.

130
00:10:12,780 --> 00:10:16,480
this post was once part of a Roman watchtower.

131
00:10:16,740 --> 00:10:19,620
a building that looked like this

132
00:10:19,900 --> 00:10:22,980
when it was built in 62 AD.

133
00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,080
not only is this post the best preserved in the world,

134
00:10:26,780 --> 00:10:29,120
there is also something written down.

135
00:10:29,420 --> 00:10:31,000
for example here you have the letter "i"

136
00:10:31,940 --> 00:10:34,200
here is the "t"

137
00:10:34,900 --> 00:10:36,840
and here is the "e"

138
00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:41,200
the nice thing is that they made the post and stood it up and it filled all around.

139
00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:43,900
so the letters were never visible.

140
00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,560
I'm curious what this is?

141
00:10:46,860 --> 00:10:48,720
we talked about watchtowers,

142
00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,600
the idea is that the soldiers stand guard on the watchtowers

143
00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,360
it used in the river in front of the tower.

144
00:10:56,660 --> 00:10:57,540
they look like fish traps to me.

145
00:10:57,840 --> 00:10:58,860
precisely.

146
00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:02,640
So these are eel traps, found in front of the watchtowers.

147
00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,760
something like 1950 years old.

148
00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,600
here they swim to the top.

149
00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,920
swimming in the basket and eating the bait,

150
00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,000
and because of the small twigs here they could no longer return.

151
00:11:19,260 --> 00:11:23,280
to keep it in place in the river they put a lot of ballast in it.

152
00:11:23,540 --> 00:11:25,520
I already saw Roman roof tiles in this one.

153
00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:31,440
yes, everything was put in.

154
00:11:31,740 --> 00:11:34,000
there are still very fine twigs left,

155
00:11:34,340 --> 00:11:37,360
That's why I like this one the most because it is so beautifully made.

156
00:11:38,620 --> 00:11:42,560
and the condition of the boat seems just as good.

157
00:11:42,860 --> 00:11:47,080
phil that piece of wood should be at least a meter deeper than the bed where the boat is.

158
00:11:47,180 --> 00:11:48,160
yes i know.

159
00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:52,460
the important thing is that we can now see the bottom.

160
00:11:52,660 --> 00:11:59,000
and you can now see the joint between the planks that go under the main beam.

161
00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,280
there is an awful lot to see there.

162
00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:01,280
I know. 

163
00:12:01,380 --> 00:12:03,080
Tinus can we have the whole boat here?

164
00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:13,640
no, we are missing one of the ends, it is completely gone.

165
00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,020
ok, so now we only see what has been excavated before?

166
00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:18,200
yes

167
00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,440
When will we see new archaeology?

168
00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:22,920
in an hour.

169
00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:24,560
wow....which part?

170
00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,360
the part right under Gruno's feet.

171
00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,600
OK, so you dug up one side of the ship.

172
00:12:31,860 --> 00:12:35,820
but you never saw the whole ship?

173
00:12:35,990 --> 00:12:37,000
no.

174
00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,360
Phil what is that thing under the piece of wood?

175
00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:43,880
yes you have one there, and here and here.

176
00:12:43,990 --> 00:12:47,920
these things are rocks of volcanic rock.

177
00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:49,760
Tinus thinks these fell from the quay into the boat.

178
00:12:49,980 --> 00:12:53,600
Strangely enough, there is no natural rock in the soil of the Netherlands.

179
00:12:53,820 --> 00:12:59,600
and it turns out that the Romans imported basalt blocks from Germany to prevent erosion on the river banks. 

180
00:12:59,860 --> 00:13:04,840
The news is not good on the sand field site.

181
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,760
the geophys results didn't see anything resembling a roman fort.

182
00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:14,000
but it was decided to dig on this fascinating spot on the map.

183
00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:17,020
our only permitted opportunity for a digging spot on the site.

184
00:13:17,220 --> 00:13:19,680
turns out to be modern junk.


185
00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:25,080
it's a copper jug ​​or something and strange shape.

186
00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:33,600
that is not iron so that cannot explain my signal. 

187
00:13:33,900 --> 00:13:38,240
but this piece of thread may explain it.

188
00:13:38,540 --> 00:13:41,840
of course there may be more to the ground here than some wire.

189
00:13:41,990 --> 00:13:43,400
there may be Roman finds deeper in the excavation site.

190
00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,000
and we'll see about that tomorrow.

191
00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:48,120
but there is positive news from this location.

192
00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:54,880
because in Yvonne's digging spot just outside the area

193
00:13:55,020 --> 00:13:59,200
Roman pottery shards have been found, which we will compare with previously found shards. 

194
00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,960
This is a 1st century sherd, right?

195
00:14:03,260 --> 00:14:06,200
These shards have a completely different age, right?

196
00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,200
this is the 2nd century, which could be 100 years younger.

197
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:17,360
this quality must be from the roman army.

198
00:14:17,660 --> 00:14:21,280
we have hundreds of different shards,

199
00:14:21,540 --> 00:14:26,480
and normally at a village spot you expect at least 40% handmade pots.

200
00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:28,280
but nothing here.

201
00:14:28,540 --> 00:14:29,700
not even a single piece.

202
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,400
what about the pieces you found Yvonne?

203
00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,200
well, I found quite a lot and over a long period of time.

204
00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,720
here is a piece from the 1st century.

205
00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:45,880
more of this white one.

206
00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,020
but here's a piece that Rens and I were very excited about.

207
00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,000
that looks like a very ordinary shard.

208
00:14:53,140 --> 00:14:57,060
but some letters are scratched in.

209
00:14:57,260 --> 00:14:59,200
I have a gift for you. try this one.

210
00:14:59,300 --> 00:15:02,120
you have the same shard?

211
00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:08,840
we have a whole word now.

212
00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:18,320
Scratched into it is: CCEPTUS

213
00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:25,240
if there was another "a" then it would have said "acceptus". I wonder who lived here.

214
00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:29,000
At least it means it wasn't rejected.

215
00:15:29,180 --> 00:15:35,740
it also says "avg" underneath. nice.

216
00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,640
This looks like a military gift to me.

217
00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:46,560
Yes, you often find those written texts at military sites in England and the Rhineland.

218
00:15:46,750 --> 00:15:48,640
it's special.

219
00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:52,760
so, so we're not giving up on the sand field area yet.

220
00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,040
but upon reaching the end of the day

221
00:15:55,220 --> 00:15:59,940
I must admit that all my attention is focused on the Roman boat

222
00:16:00,140 --> 00:16:03,120
in fact what you see here.

223
00:16:03,380 --> 00:16:06,440
is the top of this shelf.

224
00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:07,960
so that's this one?

225
00:16:08,090 --> 00:16:09,240
yes that one.

226
00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,580
so what we have here is the full height of the boat.

227
00:16:12,780 --> 00:16:14,640
Yes.

228
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,720
normally when we find something roman,

229
00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,040
it becomes old and weathering from the ground

230
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,000
but this is completely different, look at the angle of the boat

231
00:16:26,180 --> 00:16:28,400
it seems like it was docked here yesterday.

232
00:16:28,550 --> 00:16:32,080
and the quality of the wood, it looks like it was cut last spring.

233
00:16:32,180 --> 00:16:33,680
yes it is very well preserved.

234
00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:36,120
it doesn't seem old at all, but modern.

233
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,840
and that's just the end of the first day.

234
00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,840
you can't imagine what this will look like tomorrow.

235
00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:55,880
beginning of the 2nd day here in Utrecht in the Netherlands.

236
00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,680
which was part of the northern part of the Roman Empire.

237
00:16:59,790 --> 00:17:05,960
and we're looking at two digging spots ahead and this big spot

238
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:12,480
where there is a Roman boat, which I think looks modern and cool.

239
00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:19,320
Only last night I had a moment of panic. what if it is modern and not roman at all. 


239
00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:26,880
Tinus, there are no incidental finds at the boat, I have also not seen any Roman graffiti on the side.

240
00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:28,960
Dating this stuff must be very difficult?

241
00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:31,520
is it roman? how do we know that?

242
00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,360
Dating is now possible with modern technology. 

243
00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:40,000
the construction also points to a typical Roman boat.

244
00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:47,500
for example, also the construction in which an L-shaped piece of wood is used from bottom to side.

245
00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:50,100
that is typically Roman.


246
00:17:50,900 --> 00:17:55,960
Are there other types of non-Roman boats that have the same constructions as this boat?

247
00:17:55,990 --> 00:17:56,880
no.

248
00:17:57,020 --> 00:17:59,520
That's very reassuring, I'm glad I asked that.

249
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,280
I can't believe how beautiful that is.

250
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:05,880
it's incredible.

251
00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,360
we dig for a roman riverboat,

252
00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:19,000
it has to be the best preserved construction we have ever seen in this series.

253
00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:24,520
it's just a shame that three-quarters of the structure is too deep to dig up in this episode.

254
00:18:24,820 --> 00:18:29,200
This boat is located at a steep angle and 6 meters underground on one side.

253
00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,400
too deep even for geophyses to see it with radar.

254
00:18:33,790 --> 00:18:38,000
this excavation is only for an excavation of a 5 meter section of this boat.

255
00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,280
so that the experts can determine exactly how old he is.

256
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:53,480
While we are here, we are also filming the boat from the previous excavation that was nearby and is now finished.

257
00:18:55,490 --> 00:19:00,790
it is now preserved at the Dutch Ship and Underwater Archaeology Department.

258
00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:12,200
Oh..my..god..

257
00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:16,240
John is accompanied on this trip by woodworking expert Marco

258
00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:21,160
is this the front?

259
00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:24,800
so this is the front?

260
00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,140
and here comes the mast, right?

261
00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:31,200
yes, it was there but it was not found.

262
00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:36,920
probably used for the sail but also for attaching ropes.

263
00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:42,760
just look at the quality of the planks here.

264
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:45,000
and the technology and craftsmanship, incredible, right?

265
00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:53,680
yes, here you can even see the saw cuts from sawing the saw blade back and forth, which therefore left scratches.

266
00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,440
the chisel work is also visible here.

267
00:19:57,620 --> 00:20:00,000
the tool was used in this direction to machine the end.

268
00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:05,620
for me the scale is also enormous, I only see half of it here.

269
00:20:05,820 --> 00:20:09,520
When you see it in its entirety, you can imagine that it is enormous, isn't it?

270
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:15,000
So Phil only looks at half of the boat. Due to storage problems the boat was split into 2 parts.

271
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:23,060
this boat was more like a ferry, 2.5 meters wide and 25 meters long. 

272
00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:27,200
ilonkie, do you know what they transported in this? Because you can fit a huge load in here, right?

273
00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:35,720
You know, according to our calculations you can't load it with grain or something because then it would sink.

274
00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:41,120
So we think all kinds of loose goods are on the ship.

275
00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,680
where we are digging near our boat is at one end of a boat.

276
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:46,960
take a look on that side.

277
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,040
just look at the size of these rivets!

278
00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:56,560
the preservation is fantastic, you can even see the hammer blows of the blacksmith.

279
00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:59,920
there are 40,000 of these rivets.

280
00:20:59,980 --> 00:21:01,080
40,000 ???

281
00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:05,960
they are literally everywhere.

282
00:21:06,060 --> 00:21:07,280
unbelievable.

283
00:21:07,390 --> 00:21:09,400
here we are at the same end as our boat.

284
00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:13,880
well you don't know that for sure yet! maybe.

285
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,600
that becomes the crucial question.

286
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:22,260
If we can find that block where the mast went, then we know we are at the back.

287
00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,840
well, it may take some time to determine which side of the boat we expose.

288
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:34,000
In order to tell the whole story, every piece of evidence must be recorded.

289
00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,540
even the basalt blocks scattered throughout the excavation area.

290
00:21:36,740 --> 00:21:40,040
Rens, the high-tech boys are at work?

291
00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,960
yes, it is actually for the drawing arm, so it is a mechanical thing.

292
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:51,000
it can track points on the planks and beams and then we record the coordinates in the computer.

293
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,200
so we follow the lines and radii of the planks.

294
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,460
is it in 3D then?

295
00:21:56,660 --> 00:21:59,060
so it's actually for capturing?

296
00:21:59,260 --> 00:22:02,360
yes, we call it a recording arm (kind of Gruno rod).

297
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,300
In England we have a man called Annie who also does this, but with a pencil. 

298
00:22:06,500 --> 00:22:10,300
the story of uncovering the other boat.

299
00:22:10,500 --> 00:22:18,100
it turned out that it had sunk accidentally, with all kinds of personal belongings still in the cabin of the boat.

300
00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:24,320
the cabin is a unique discovery in itself and has now been partially reconstructed.

301
00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:28,520
yes they had to dismantle it on the ship.

302
00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,440
this is a reconstruction of what they found.

303
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:35,960
the dark line shows which part of the ship they found.

304
00:22:36,140 --> 00:22:39,360
both the metal and the woodwork, what has been found is absolutely unique.

305
00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:41,400
no other ship has this kind of cabin.

306
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:47,840
What surprises me is that they have some kind of closures. 

307
00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:54,720
that is a very efficient closure.

308
00:22:54,920 --> 00:23:01,960
this meant that they could leave valuables in the cabin overnight.

309
00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,720
yeah, they had some stuff worth stealing.

310
00:23:06,220 --> 00:23:09,280
the finds in the cabin were a stylus for writing.

311
00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:14,440
and military-style sandals, suggesting the owner was a retired soldier.

312
00:23:14,660 --> 00:23:20,160
but most impressive was a tool set that even included these wooden planes.

313
00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:23,980
even with the knives still in it.

314
00:23:24,190 --> 00:23:27,000
the wooden parts are now kept separately.

315
00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:32,520
but even though the metal is 1800 years old, but the metal is still as beautiful as the day it was made.

316
00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:36,960
I wonder if the original lock is not better than the reconstruction.

317
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:47, 480
This is also a collection of beautiful tools, they are also tools that you recognize immediately.

318
00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:51,160
This crowbar, for example, is still the same as what you still buy in the store.

319
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:56,560
but then you also have something like this, what in the world is this?

320
00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:58,720
if you compare it with this one,

321
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,760
then it appears to have the same kind of handle as this key.

322
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:06,400
but then it has been converted into a kind of chisel.

323
00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:08,680
and you also see that they used it as a chisel.

324
00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,840
they really hammered it home.

325
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:16,200
most of these things look mundane and friendly

326
00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,200
but on top of that you have a...spear.

327
00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:27,680
actually it's something different. If it were a spear then there would also be a wooden shaft, but there was none.

328
00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:29,240
so it was on board for another reason.

329
00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:34,520
maybe as a knife or something, but it wasn't used as a spear.

330
00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:42,440
I was curious what surprise this boat has in store for us.

331
00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:48,920
and with the basalt blocks now removed the diggers can now reveal more of the boat itself.

332
00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,560
it turns out our boat was left here, in a bend of the river.

333
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,600
and one reason it is so well preserved, 

334
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:04,560
is because the riverbed has moved over the boat over the centuries.

335
00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:10,540
Rens thinks that it seems as if the greatest challenge for the Romans here was the battle with the forces of the river.

336
00:25:10,740 --> 00:25:14,540
and our boat may be part of that story.

337
00:25:14,740 --> 00:25:19,800
I think that now that the basalt rocks have been removed you can see what an incredibly sharp angle it is in.

338
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:30,200
no one will moor a boat in a bend of the river like this and where the current is strongest.

339
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:36,400
So everything points to the express sinking of the ship.

340
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,280
But Annie has not drawn the boat as sinking, but as if they are pulling it out.

341
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:45,580
they probably had to change position on the river bed.

342
00:25:45,780 --> 00:25:47,360
with these ropes?

343
00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,800
yes, probably to pull it onto the quay a bit.

344
00:25:50,990 --> 00:25:52,800
and maybe also to put all those basalt rocks in there.


345
00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,040
so are you suggesting it was moved that way for some special reason?

346
00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:58,560
to form a pier or something?

347
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:03,400
well, what we know because we've done a lot of research into the conditions of the environment,

348
00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:09,040
that the river threatened the Roman road in the background around 100 AD.

349
00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:14,120
and that this construction also dates from this time.

350
00:26:14,220 --> 00:26:16,080
We know this because we dated the poles from the construction.

351
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:23,840
and its shape suggests that it was placed to protect the land from erosion.

352
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:28,600
Rens expects that the boat was used as a blockade to prevent erosion of the land.

353
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:35,680
Roman engineers seem to have had a constant battle with the river as it kept changing its position.

354
00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:43,560
they had no other choice because they were surrounded by swampland and everything had to be built on a small strip of sand.

355
00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:48,360
so a critical fact then becomes the dating of the boat in relation to the quay.

356
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:52,520
I can't imagine using a new boat for it, don't you?

357
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,520
no you don't.

358
00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:58,200
what is the oldest of this type of boat found so far?


359
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,900
we have another boat of this type, which was found in Xanten.

360
00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:06,800
which was post-dated to after the year 98 AD.

361
00:27:06,990 --> 00:27:14,560
meaning no scientific measurement was made on the wood that would have given you an exact date.

362
00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:17,200
so a little after 98 AD approximately?

363
00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:19,500
well it could also be 40 years later.

364
00:27:20,500 --> 00:27:23,200
ok, so if we get an early date,

365
00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,520
Could this be the oldest boat of this type found?

366
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:26,920
yes, that could well be possible.

367
00:27:29,620 --> 00:27:34,000
but to determine the date we have to do something very violent to our boat.

368
00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,000
shocking? yes i know.

369
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:48,480
especially since we haven't recovered the boat in its entirety yet.

370
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,080
but I'm sure it can all be put back together.

371
00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:55,960
in reality they even have to saw a few pieces to get a correct dating.

372
00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:58,540
and we'll hear more about that later.

372
00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:01,640
<<<Danny's safety shoes>>>>

373
00:28:02,820 --> 00:28:07,800
mapping the movements of the river is crucial for understanding the border of the empire.

374
00:28:07,990 --> 00:28:13,700
but as you might have expected, the archeology is very complicated in places.

375
00:28:13,900 --> 00:28:17,790
this is mainly in the other area where we are digging, in Zandveld.

376
00:28:17,990 --> 00:28:23,360
Rens and Stef's previous research has yielded a corner post of a Roman watchtower.

377
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:25,560
built next to the river in the first century AD.

378
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,760
but 100 years later the river had moved.

379
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,600
and the large amount of Roman potsherds in this area proved this

380
00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:35,960
that there may have been a second fort in the 2nd century AD.

381
00:28:36,390 --> 00:28:42,040
unfortunately the two excavation strips did not reveal any evidence for a fort.

382
00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:45,760
So is that the story of this excavation strip because there are mainly medieval finds?

383
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:47,560
I think so.

384
00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:49,480
there is no roman here?

385
00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:57,440
no, just small Roman pieces of rubbish and roof tiles.

386
00:28:57,640 --> 00:28:59,990
I think we can declare this strip Roman-free.

387
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:08,080
there is little more we can do here except to say that if there is a fort here, it is very small.

388
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:13,320
Eugene has created a 3D model to analyze the front system.

389
00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:17,280
it turns out that the gates and watchtowers were not just there to guard the front.

390
00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:22,240
but were so placed that they could follow all movements on the river Rhine.

391
00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:27,360
it is important to realize that they were not just a military border.

392
00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:32,280
all the forts here were dependent for their supplies from outside.

393
00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:35,240
and this supply comes from Switzerland.

394
00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,240
and later from England.

395
00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:40,800
This is also the passage for trade to Scandinavia and France.

396
00:29:40,990 --> 00:29:43,120
so this is the highway of Europe.

397
00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:47,150
all heavy transport must cross this river.

398
00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:51,280
so we are guarding the highway of Europe here.

399
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:55,840
and here you have the surveillance system that goes with it.

400
00:29:55,990 --> 00:29:58,460
look at the placement of the watchtowers.

401
00:29:58,660 --> 00:30:02,500
I don't understand, why not 1 watchtower in such a flat area?

402
00:30:02,700 --> 00:30:04,600
why do you need so many?

403
00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:15,560
This is necessary for a river area, so that you can see the next bend on the boat and which way you should go.

403
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:19,720
especially since there are several rivers here at the same point.

404
00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:21,000
so they are also markers.

405
00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:29,720
they also stop pirates, so they have to be higher to see further.

406
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:36,720
so they are actually intended as a kind of traffic light or lighthouses?

407
00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:37,920
Yes.

408
00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,200
Marco, you never do excavations, do you?

409
00:30:41,490 --> 00:30:42,460
wait a minute that's fantastic.

410
00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:47,240
look ---- oops, that's a bit busy, isn't it?

411
00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:58,600
I'm telling you, if you compare this one with the one we just saw, this one is twice as big, right?

412
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:03,720
yes, twice as big and twice as much load.

413
00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:06,160
What also surprises me is the condition of the wood.

414
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:10,320
the condition of the wood is at least as good as what we saw today, right?

415
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,840
and the size too.

416
00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:14,320
what are your first thoughts?

417
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,200
fantastic, we should find these in England too,

418
00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:19,200
but we don't, we had to come here to find them.

419
00:31:19,300 --> 00:31:21,000
do we have them in england?

420
00:31:21,100 --> 00:31:25,480
I think so, we have plenty of Roman ports to explore.

421
00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:31,760
We do have outgoing seagoing vessels from that period, but no riverboats. 

422
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:35,160
we have sea boats and canoes, but we are missing this link.

423
00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:41,320
and now after a day of hard digging we can see the details of this boat.

424
00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,020
Phil's first question is very simple.

425
00:31:44,220 --> 00:31:47,160
do we know which side of the boat we are digging on?

425
00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:56,060
I think we are now 80% sure which side we are digging on

426
00:31:56,170 --> 00:32:00,800
because the mast should be a quarter of the length of the front of the ship.

427
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:04,160
means it should be here?

428
00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:06,600
yes it must be in this dig area.

429
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:12,240
so we're 80% sure this is the back?

430
00:32:12,340 --> 00:32:13,400
Yes.

431
00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:14,800
that's great.

432
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,200
The only disappointment is that there is no cabin on the back of this boat

433
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:24,560
but the specialists have found something on this boat that makes this boat special. 

434
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:33,000
we see a connection of the bottom shelves that is typical for the Mediterranean Sea.

434
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:40,000
in the flank of the bottom? yes that is unusual.

435
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:41,960
They won't say anything now, but they'll explain tomorrow.

436
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:48,000
Tomorrow is also the day that the wood is analyzed.

437
00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,000
to find out if the age of the boat is also special.

438
00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:57,960
Now it may be drunken talk, but the experts seem very excited.

439
00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:03,200
Stef told me 5 minutes ago that every archaeologist says their latest dig is unique.

440
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:06,200
but indeed this boat is unique.

441
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:07,500
health Phil.

442
00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:12,320
and hopefully tomorrow somewhere under that pile of mud we will find out why?

443
00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:13,900
do you want a beer? 

444
00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:15,520
come on then.

445
00:33:24,990 --> 00:33:27,720
the start of the third day in the Netherlands

446
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:31,200
on the northern border of the Roman Empire

447
00:33:31,500 --> 00:33:37,680
what is a shame about this excavation is that we can no longer show you more of this very beautiful country

448
00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,820
because....guess where time team is digging?

449
00:33:41,020 --> 00:33:42,960
right, right in the middle of a construction site.

450
00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:50,220
I don't think the archaeologists realize they are on a construction site.

451
00:33:50,220 --> 00:33:55,000
their eyes are focused on the perfectly preserved Roman boat that we are excavating

452
00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:58,040
and today is the day we will learn the most about it.

453
00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,080
but first more of the boat must be made visible.

454
00:34:02,780 --> 00:34:04,200
tomorrow Phil, will it work?

455
00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,360
great, things are really going great here.

456
00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:09,800
very impressive huh?

457
00:34:09,990 --> 00:34:11,400
yes we now have the full width and profile visible

458
00:34:11,990 --> 00:34:14,960
Oh, so this is the full width?

459
00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:16,460
yes and full height.

460
00:34:16,660 --> 00:34:23,180
When I work here I really get the feeling of being in a boat. it's great

461
00:34:23,580 --> 00:34:26,160
I see that you are working with a different trowel than normal work

462
00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:31,960
yes, but my own trowel is never far away!

463
00:34:32,160 --> 00:34:36,500
so it is a kind of wooden kitchen spatula.

464
00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:40,500
so as not to damage the wood of the boat?

465
00:34:40,700 --> 00:34:43,680
right and the other tool is your hands.

466
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:46,520
and to really clean it use a sponge.

467
00:34:46,720 --> 00:34:52,400
what is that thing behind you that looks like a pole?

468
00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:58,840
we call it a mast, but we are not so serious about that.

469
00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:02,440
That won't happen because it's not round, right?

470
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:05,600
there is a good archaeological reason why that is not the case.

471
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,480
do you see those large basalt blocks?

472
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:10,000
those are those boat weighting things?

473
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:15,440
Stef said they rolled in from the dock,

474
00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:21,060
to the bottom of the boat.

475
00:35:21,260 --> 00:35:28,040
look, you have basalt blocks here, and the pole is on top of them

476
00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:32,800
so if the basalt blocks have nothing to do with the boat, then neither should this pole.

477
00:35:32,990 --> 00:35:39,960
So it just happened to get in there?

478
00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,240
yes, it came in by chance.

479
00:35:43,060 --> 00:35:45,600
wow, that's very beautiful, isn't it?

480
00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:51,240
this is a model of the other boat that has already been excavated in this area.

481
00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:56,400
Stef brought it along to show the differences with our boat

482
00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:00,560
as you can see the overall construction is the same, but

483
00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:05,320
on the other hand, this ship is 2.5 meters wide.

484
00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:11,120
but the ship we are examining now is at least 4 meters wide,

485
00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:14,660
almost twice as wide.

486
00:36:14,860 --> 00:36:18,860
Do you think the boat we're digging up now is also longer than this one?

487
00:36:19,060 --> 00:36:22,480
yes it is longer but it is not twice as long.

488
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:32,040
it would have been about 30 to 35 meters long. And more like 35 than 30.

489
00:36:32,240 --> 00:36:37,720
These boats were then the trucks of today, and the most economical way to transport goods.

490
00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:40,480
about 20 times cheaper than road transport.

491
00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:46,280
and these boats helped to transport all kinds of goods to England.

492
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:50,360
but I'm not sure how the resupply worked.

493
00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:55,440
We are looking here at the river part of transport

494
00:36:55,640 --> 00:37:00,320
they transported all kinds of bulk goods on the Rhine.

495
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:08,000
wine and the like came over to England and at least two types of boats were involved.

496
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,000
the low flat boats like this one.

497
00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:15,800
and the taller, rounder sea boats, of which Annie is making a few drawings.

498
00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:21,640
a 35 meter long ship like this would never be able to sail across the North Sea.

499
00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:26,520
so the goods are transferred to a seaworthy ship like this one.

500
00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:31,040
this particular boat was found in the river thames in the late 60's.

501
00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:37,800
it is even possible that he was supplied in Utrecht.

502
00:37:37,990 --> 00:37:40,990
The name Utrecht means route, also crossing point.

503
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:47,000
people think about crossing from one side of the river to the other.

504
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:51,320
but it can also mean crossing the river system to the sea.

505
00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,720
do they sail directly from Utrecht to England?

506
00:37:54,920 --> 00:38:00,080
not quite, it is easier to sail along the coast to the delta.

507
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,320
that's here somewhere?

508
00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:04,200
yes down there where the islands are.

509
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:09,440
close to modern ferry ports such as Vlissingen.

510
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:15,480
and from there you can easily cross to the Thames area.

511
00:38:16,380 --> 00:38:22,160
Tinuz saw something in the boat yesterday, making it a unique discovery.

512
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,600
and now he shows Phil what he meant by it.

513
00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:31,000
he inserts yellow picks into the plank to indicate where they are linked.

514
00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:34,040
with which these types of links have been used.

515
00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:38,600
a technology that has not been seen anywhere before here on the boats found.

516
00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:48,000
so what you are saying is that they are not connected vertically, but horizontally.

517
00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:55,480
through a piece of wood, and the yellow pins indicate where those couplings are.

518
00:38:55,680 --> 00:39:02,200
that explains why you get pairs of them next to each other.

519
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:07,480
what's the point of those wooden pegs on a boat?

520
00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:16,420
it makes the construction of the bottom stronger and ensures that the planks stay together better. 

521
00:39:16,620 --> 00:39:19,920
and ensures that it is less likely to leak.

522
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:25,680
so far we have examined 15 ships of this type,but

523
00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:31,800
this is the first time we've seen this pairing technique.

524
00:39:31,990 --> 00:39:40,120
normally the planks are held in place by a pile of iron nails through the floor.

525
00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:46,960
she used local craftsmen to make the shelves and the L-wood figures.

526
00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:50,680
workmen who normally made canoes.

527
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:56,720
these people were not used to connecting planks.

528
00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:00,000
and she explained to the Romans how to do it.

529
00:40:00,150 --> 00:40:03,520
so you think it is an early version of this type of boat.

530
00:40:03,720 --> 00:40:07,320
That could be possible, we have to wait for the wood research.

531
00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:14,200
Stef, on a scale of 1 to 10, how important does this boat get?

532
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:19,280
o that's an 11, because it completely messes up all ideas of building.

533
00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:22,480
ok, so it's very important.

533
00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:28,960
so important that we unleash the chainsaw again.

534
00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:35,260
Apparently we need to saw more test samples to determine how old the boat is.

535
00:40:42,460 --> 00:40:45,320
this is done by Dendro dating.

536
00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:54,280
simply put, studying growth rings in the wood and comparing them with those of trees of known date.

537
00:40:54,480 --> 00:41:00,420
Amanda and her team can compare the growth rings in the database of most trees in Europe.

538
00:41:00,620 --> 00:41:06,680
the problem is that the wood samples so far have not yielded enough growth rings.

539
00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:08,360
how many would you prefer?

540
00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:11,240
preferably at least 80 to 100.

540
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:13,760
and do you have that here now?

541
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:19,880
We do have them for the L-pieces.

542
00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:25,880
the l-pieces and the bottom planks were very long.

543
00:41:25,990 --> 00:41:39,320
this one is in the 200 area and this one 198. but if you look at the patterns......

544
00:41:41,500 --> 00:41:48,440
but even with this large number of growth rings, they have not yet found a match in the European data file.

545
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:51,240
that's why they need even more samples.

546
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:54,440
the use of technology is also present here.

547
00:41:54,990 --> 00:41:57,920
what do you do with that little pump?

548
00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:01,120
we are trying to pump up some groundwater,

549
00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:10,680
to see if the environment under the ship is good enough to preserve the boat.

550
00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:13,720
what do they plan to do with the boat now?

551
00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:20,380
it will be buried again after the investigation and protected as an archaeological monument.

552
00:42:20,580 --> 00:42:22,440
what comes on top then?

553
00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:26,400
a bicycle shed.

554
00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:30,560
So your research will show whether this is possible without damaging the boat.

555
00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:35,200
a bonus of removing test pieces from the boat

556
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,600
is that we can take a good look at the connections.

557
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:47,760
for the last hour, a group of archaeologists have clustered around a piece of wood as if it were the holy grail.

558
00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:50,640
Phil ? why is everyone so excited about this?

559
00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:56,400
because it is such a revolutionary way of joining wood for planks. 

560
00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:58,790
it is a mix of 2 different ways.

561
00:42:58,990 --> 00:43:02,040
it's the Mediterranean way of these little planks

562
00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:06,120
which is used for the bottom planks of which this is one.

563
00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:11,000
and then link them together to form a large area of wood

564
00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:15,800
we have seen boats in much the same way as we saw boats here on the thames in the year 1600.

567
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:21,160
they also made the bottom very thin due to this construction.

568
00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:24,760
but that's 1400 years later?

567
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:28,040
so this is the great-great-great-grandfather of that technology.

568
00:43:29,940 --> 00:43:34,300
but the main purpose of the excavation was to determine the age of the boat.

569
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:36,640
that moment has finally come.

570
00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:42,020
According to Rens and Stef, this boat is older than 100 AD.

571
00:43:42,220 --> 00:43:44,600
if their theory of this boundary is correct.

572
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:50,880
To determine it precisely, there must also be growth rings from just under the tree bark.

573
00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:56,760
because from these rings they can tell exactly when the tree was cut down.

574
00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:03,560
this sample doesn't exactly have all the rings, but enough for Amanda to approximate it.

575
00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:05,920
I can't wait to hear the result.

576
00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:16,560
the last wood sample indicates that the wood is from 52 AD.

577
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:26,160
the deviation due to the lack of outer rings is 25 years.

578
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:34,760
so we arrive at about 77 (or-6) AD.

579
00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:41,520
I actually expected a response.

580
00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:45,800
why are you so excited?

581
00:44:45,990 --> 00:44:50,300
it's almost what I said, 85 AD.

582
00:44:51,300 --> 00:44:52,780
I said 55.

583
00:44:52,980 --> 00:44:55,000
I had said 71 AD.

584
00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,580
is it what you wanted?

585
00:44:58,780 --> 00:45:11,360
yes, if you had asked me this morning what year this construction dates from,

586
00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:15,920
I would have said 85 AD, that was my expectation after 7 years of research.

587
00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:22,120
that was the time they created the infrastructure.

588
00:45:23,320 --> 00:45:25,200
so that was my guess.

588
00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:29,000
I think they are very happy with your findings.

589
00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:32,760
we always are!

590
00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:37,920
it is a great end to the excavation and project in this area.

591
00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:42,320
Now you can really see the contours clearly.

592
00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:50,200
but given the importance of the boat, I wonder: will it ever actually be excavated?

593
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:56,120
as soon as the groundwater is lowered and the wood starts to rot,

594
00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:58,480
then we call the time team.

595
00:45:58,580 --> 00:46:05,200
So maybe one day we'll get a call and we'll be allowed to dig up the whole boat?

596
00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:08,200
yes, but I think it only has to be done in 4 days.

597
00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:11,600
I think we can arrange that.

598
00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:18,660
Wouldn't it be great to just get the boat out of the ground now?

599
00:46:19,060 --> 00:46:20,840
with some graphic magic.

600
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:22,800
can we do this.

601
00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:26,680
and we see the true size of this riverboat.

602
00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:30,360
which is just under 5 meters wide and about 35 meters long.

603
00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:34,000
This is the missing link as Marco called it.

604
00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:37,360
an early example of a Roman Rhine boat.

605
00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:40,680
which was probably made for the Roman army.

606
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:44,080
built using a mix of local and Mediterranean techniques.

607
00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:47,000
built around the year 85 AD.

608
00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:50,360
This boat had an expected use of approximately 15 years.

609
00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:53,480
before it was sunk expressly around the year 100

610
00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:56,400
om erosie te voorkomen aan de romeinse weg door de rivier de Rijn.

611
00:46:56,600 --> 00:47:02,760
een wanhopige poging van de romeinse ingenieurs om te strijden met de krachten van de natuur.

612
00:47:02,960 --> 00:47:08,400
en nu is er nog net tijd om het nieuws te delen met diegene die het harde werk hebben gedaan.

613
00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:14,000
dames en heren de houtleeftijd is....met een marge van 5 jaar,

614
00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:17,560
85 AD.

615
00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:24,960
wat het de vroegste boot maak ooit gevonden in het noordelijk deel van het romeinse rijk

616
00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:09,560


922
00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:13,600

923
00:47:13,560 --> 00:47:13,960


924
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:17,760


925
00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:21,280


926
00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:23,960


927
00:47:23,960 --> 00:47:26,600




