The discovery of the well preserved remains of a Bronze Age boat in Dover in 1992 was one of the most important post-war finds in Britain. The boat was of a stitched oak plank structure, and has been dated to 1550 BC. To mark the tenth anniversary of the boat's discovery, a conference was held in Dover in 2002. This publication brings to a wider audience sixteen of the papers presented there, allowing all those interested in this fascinating relic to share in the findings of experts from all over Europe. Subjects include: evidence of the boat's marine environment; the reconstruction of the boat; boats as Bronze Age artefacts; British prehistoric shipbuilding; the use of model ships in archaeological research; north-west European boats before AD 400; the sewn-plank boats of the Humber; the prehistoric harbours of Kent; the environmental context of the Dover boat; sea-faring voyages and rock art ships; social and religious perceptions of the ship in Bronze Age northern Europe; the heritage management of boats; the social role of the ship and the sea in Bronze Age Norway. Contributors: Peter Clark, Christopher Green, Peter Marsden, John Coates, Francis Pryor, Owain Roberts, Seán McGrail, Edwin Gifford and Joyce Gifford, Béat Arnold, Robert Van de Noort, Keith Parfitt, Mike Bailie, Kristian Kristiansen, Flemming Kaul, Thijs Maarlveld, Frode Kvalo .
Foreword (Frank Panton)
1. The Dover boat ten years after its discovery (Peter Clark)
2. Evidence of a marine environment associated with the Dover boat (Christopher Green)
3. Reconstructing the Dover boat (Peter Marsden)
4. The legacy of Ted Wright (John Coates)
5. Some thoughts on boats as Bronze Age artefacts (Francis Pryor)
6. Round the headland or over the horizon? An examination of evidence for British prehistoric efforts to construct a seaworthy boat (Owain Roberts)
7. North-west European seagoing boats before AD 400 (Sean McGrail)
8. The use of half-scale model ships in archaeological research with particular reference to the Graveney, Sutton Hoo and Ferriby ships (Edwin Gifford and Joyce Gifford)
9. Dover to Bevaix, from the Middle Bronze Age to Gallo-Roman times, from lashing to nailing: a page of naval arcaehology illustrated by the evolution of techiniques, tools and the discovery of new materials (Beat Arnold)
10. The Humber, its sew-plank boats, their contexts and the significance of it all (Robert Van de Noort)
11. A search for the prehistoric harbours of Kent (Keith Parfitt)
12. An environmental context for the Dover boat? (Mike Baillie)
13. Sea faring voyages and rock art ships (Kristian Kristiansen)
14. Social and religious perceptions of the ship in Bronze Age Northern Europe (Flemming Kaul)
15. Finding 'new' boats: enhancing our chances in heritage management, a predictive approach (Thijs Maarleveld)
16. Facing the sea in Bronze Age NorwayL the ship, the sea and society (Frode Kvalo)
Peter Clark was raised in Illinois, where he graduated from New Trier Township High School. He was in the United States Army from 1965 to 1968, including Vietnam service with the 1st Infantry Division. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Yale Law School and a member of the Massachusetts Bar. He has been a county prosecutor, counsel to state mental health and social service agencies, a legal aid lawyer, and an Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts. He currently serves in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in the Office of the Inspector General. He currently lives in Catonsville, MD.
