Hjortspring boat

The Hjortspring boat (Danish: Hjortspringbåden) is a vessel designed as a large canoe, from the Scandinavian Pre-Roman Iron Age.

The hull and remains were rediscovered and excavated in 1921–1922 from the bog of Hjortspring Mose on the island of Als in Sønderjylland, southern Denmark.

[4] This is reinforced by the presence of a dismembered horse placed beneath the boat at the time of burial along with a lamb, a calf, and two dogs.

These stem pieces, along with the bottom plank, extend forward and backward from the hull to form the iconic "beaks" of this type of boat construction.

Vertical oak struts, secured by wooden pegs and pitch, fasten the upper and lower "beaks" and brace both ends of the watercraft.

Metal rivets become increasingly present in later finds and the stem construction was simplified to a single curved shape which extended and tapered outward from the hull.