Paddles dating back to the Stone Age were recently found in Horsens Fjord, Denmark

Archaeologists have known for a while of settlements with surrounding culture layers by the coasts of Horsens Fjord.

In 2008, Peter Astrup of Aarhus University noticed well-preserved bones and processed wooden objects on the seabed. These objects revealed layers that had been heavily degraded by the ocean waves.

After repeated visits to the location and discoveries of objects such as wooden sticks and antler axes, Moesgård Museum, Horsens Museum and Aarhus University launched an investigation in autumn 2010 and again in 2011.

The excavations revealed many interesting finds, the most startling of which were three paddles made out of ash wood.

Pictured on the left is the underside of the paddle in the picture at the top with clearly visible paint. On the right is a semi-preserved, painted paddle. (Photo: Derek Butler, Moesgård Museum)

From the Middle Ertebølle period

Remarkably, the paddles lay partially exposed on the seabed, which to some extent had affected their state of preservation.

One of them only had the handle intact, and on the second one, around two thirds of the blade was preserved, revealing an original total size of about 20 cm in length, 24 cm in width and about 0.8 cm in thickness.

Cuts on the surface indicate that the paddle blade may at some point also have been used as a chopping board, presumably used for cutting off the heads of fish.

The third paddle was preserved in its full length and had half of its blade remaining. This one measures 103 cm in length, of which the blade accounts for 21 cm. The blade is 22 cm wide and 1 cm thick.

The paddle has been Carbon-14 dated to around 4,700-4,540 BC, which brings us back to the Middle period of the Ertebølle culture. [...] sciencenordic.com/