Pesse canoe

The boat is a dugout-style canoe measuring long and wide. It was made from a single Scots pine log. Marks are present in the cavity, likely made by flint or antler tools. ==History==

The boat was discovered in 1955 during the construction of the Dutch A28 motorway. The route passes south of the village of Pesse in Hoogeveen through what was a peat bog. To construct the roadbed, the peat needed to be removed, and during excavation, a crane operator came across what he believed to be a tree trunk below the surface. Local farmer Hendrik Wanders noticed the log and took it for further inspection. He gave the boat to the University of Groningen, where it was examined and freeze dried for preservation. It was later transferred to the Drents Museum, located near the discovery site. ==Debate==

A visiting Danish archaeologist questioned whether such a small boat would be seaworthy. In 2001, an exact replica was constructed by archaeologist Jaap Beuker and successfully paddled by a canoeist, proving that it did in fact function as a boat. Beuker noted that animals were not kept by the people from the boat's era (in fact, no domesticated farm or work animals were kept anywhere in Europe during the Mesolithic), so it likely was not a trough. The boat is also similar in construction to prehistoric canoes found in other countries. ==See also==