When I was going to speak at the Lakewood Lions Club in May about water ways earlier this year, I turned to my favorite source of information: Archaeology Magazine. The information I was looking for was something that represented water ways in the past which touched our current thoughts, questions and details that make us say “Whoa, wow, now that is interesting.”
Archaeology is one of my favorite magazines. Generally, I can find information that makes readers look for additional stories and back-up materials that give a little more meaning and interest. Page 20 usually offers interesting tid-bits of the past in just ten stories and photos within two pages. The January/February issue paid off nicely with a one paragraph story about the finding of a single-mast flat-bottomed boat in St. Augustine, Florida. The 19th century ship was 28 feet long and was found by a construction crew working on another project. It was just 8 feet beneath the current street level. The ship was probably used to fish or collect shellfish from the local waters.
I was hoping to find another piece of information to back up the St. Augustine story. I found it on a very short news brief from Facebook. It was more like a teaser about five ancient canoes found in Italy. The teaser gave me nothing more and I was disappointed, but was able to share with the members of the Lions Club a number of issues of Archaeology. I didn’t have to wait too long for my own satisfaction, however. This week I received my July/August copy of Archaeology Magazine. Waiting on page 20, just for me and a few other thousand readers was one short informational paragraph that made me smile connecting to the dots of my earlier presentation.
The details of the story were perfect: Five canoes were discovered and recovered in just 35 feet of water in Lake Bracciano near Rome. Those canoes are possibly the oldest boats ever found in the Mediterranean area. The 7,000 year old village of La Marmotta was home of people about 7,000 years ago. The boats were constructed with the same materials generally found in America as well: alder, oak, poplar, and beech. The largest canoe was 35 feet long. The lake where the canoes were found had access to the Mediterranean, via the Arrone River, near Valnerina.
Water Ways have been giving us access to the world around us. It’s really nice when we understand how things connect and how we are dependent on some of the same aspects that benefited people ages ago. With our Cascade mountain streams and local lakes just miles away from Puget Sound, Water Ways are important and need to be cared for and protected for those who follow us.
