Bateaux de Saône: 3000 ans d'évolution

Until 1982, our Knowledge ofthe boats used on the Saône before the 19th century was limited to the chance discovery ofseveral small logboats. Seven of them were found at the end of the last century, in the Upper Saône as well as at Chalon and Tournas. Three of thèse only, the Saint-Albin, Apremont and Rigny dugouts, were able to be saved by the muséums of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Besançon. These discoveries alone, which have been incorrectly dated and little studied or not at ail, could hardly answer the current questions of researchers. It is obvious that during the last decades, the dredging carried out in the lowest water level of the river with more and more powerful means, has led to the destruction oftens or even hundreds of boats from ail periods, mainly around the fordable shallow areas. With rare exceptions, thèse discovenes hâve gone unnoticed for the simple reason that they were quite banal for the dredger workers. Since 1982, within the framework ofthe activities of the « Archeology » section ofthe Museum of Chalon, regular excavation campaigns and underwater prospecting on the Saône bed hâve led to the discovery ofsix new wrecks ranging from the end ofthe Bronze Age to the 19th century. Only three of them have, today, been part of an excavation or salvage programme. Even if all thase small crafts have not been studied exhaustively, the research has, nevertheless, provided a coherent vision of the evolution of boats on the Saône over the last three thousand years.Bonnamour Louis. Bateaux de Saône: 3000 ans d'évolution. In: Archaeonautica, 14, 1998. Construction navale maritime et fluviale. Approches archéologique, historique et ethnologique. pp. 13-21