Ancient Boats, Boat Timbers, and Locked Mortise-and-Tenon Joints from Bronze/Iron-Age Northern Vietnam
Date
2007
Authors
Bellwood, Peter
Cameron, Judith
Van Viet, Nguyen
Van Liem, Bui
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Volume Title
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Abstract
This paper describes two nautical discoveries buried c.2000 years ago in the Red River alluvial plain, northern Vietnam. One is part of a logboat with a series of empty mortise and locking-peg holes for plank attachment using loose rectangular tenons. The other, from an infant mortuary house, is a series of re-used 4-m-long timbers with exactly the same locked mortise-and-tenon technology. Both finds are interpreted as having belonged to river-boats like those shown on the sides of Heger 1 (Dong Son) bronze drums. Potentially-related technologies from the Mediterranean and China are also discussed.
Description
Keywords
Keywords: Boat technology; Dong Son; Maritime history; Mortise-and-tenon fastenings; Vietnam
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Source
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
Type
Journal article
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Restricted until
2037-12-31