After 1000 years of slumber in the waters of Lake Bourget, a wooden dugout canoe was brought to the surface to be analyzed before being displayed at the Savoisian Museum of Chambéry in 2019.
Discovered by a diver in 1989, at a depth of 32 meters, in water with extremely limited visibility (less than one meter), it was in 2002 that the boat was studied and carbon-dated by Yves Billaud, research engineer at the Department of Underwater Archeological Research (DRASSM). According to this study, the object dates back to a period between 680 and 940 (between the 7th and 10th centuries). The Savoisian Museum of Chambéry requested permission in 2016 for an extraction to enrich its collections and present this discovery to the public.
This Carolingian canoe is a true treasure for the museum:
– It possesses only a limited number of medieval objects,
– Very few of them date from the early Middle Ages,
– There is only one other canoe of this kind discovered in France, in Nemours,
– The object, in fairly good condition, is impressively large (5.6 meters long),
– From a scientific and historical perspective, this canoe can provide a wealth of knowledge about life in the region during the Carolingian era.
A meticulous underwater extraction
It took divers 10 days to safely extract the relic without risking damage. Installation of buoys, setting up a metal frame around the boat for protection, lifting, towing… 8 divers were mobilized for this operation: 2 were divers from DRASSM, Yves Billaud, research engineer, and Sébastien Legrand, hyperbaric safety controller. The other 6 were all volunteers (certified CAH 2B INPP), mainly fire and safety divers or police officers, both active and retired. Extensive preparation was necessary to ensure its final extraction, which took place last June 28. The challenge was significant given the numerous difficulties: dives with poor visibility, limited time due to the site’s depth (32 meters), awaiting calm weather conditions to prevent damaging the canoe during the lift or transport, protecting the canoe to prevent drying…
An in-depth study in the lab
Transported to the ARC-Nucléart lab of CEA in Grenoble immediately after extraction, the canoe will be restored and analyzed for 2 years before being displayed to the public. The oak wood, saturated with water and microorganisms, risks warping or degrading by drying. This is why the lab will embed a liquid resin in place of the water, consolidate the fragile parts, and harmonize the surface appearance of the archaeological object.
The canoe will be displayed at the end of 2019 at the Savoisian Museum of Chambéry. A video retracing its journey from the bottom of Lake Bourget, its extraction, and the results of the studies conducted on it, will be shown to visitors.Practical information : the museum is currently closed for renovations and will only reopen at the end of 2019.
Margot Harty