A Modern Boat Mill on the Doubs River (France, Burgundy Region)

Summary

An underwater survey in the Doubs River uncovered well-preserved remains of a floating post-medieval mill. The site consists of piling rows (“bouchot, benne, or banne” in Old French) and two boat hulls (Corte and Forain) supporting the machinery. Seven consistent C14 dates were obtained from the pilings, ranging from the fifteenth century to the first half of the seventeenth century. A sample from one of the two boat hulls is dated in the same interval. Two test pit excavations have yielded metal ware and other objects suggesting an accidental sinking of the vessels. Written sources indicate that such mills were common on this river, with its waters known to show rapid changes in speed and level. Vessels supporting the floating mills, even if they do not differ much from other boats that sailed in this river basin, were built specifically for this purpose. We know that shipwrights specialized in this type of building were settled on the Doubs River until the nineteenth century.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Poster Session   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): POS-98,31