We’d like to draw your attention to a five thousand-year-old find that has survived in excellent condition—a miniature wooden boat or dugout canoe. It was discovered by scientists in the coastal area of Šventoji, stuck vertically in the lake sludge. Over the course of time one end of the canoe sunk, and its beak, embellished with a figurine, crumbled. This decorative detail suggests that perhaps the wooden artefact was not merely a model of a large canoe, created for children to play with. Archaeologists guess that it might have been used for ritual offerings or as a symbol of successful fishing.

Though one may think that prehistoric people only used ash or oak canoes close to their settlements, to travel along the edges of lakes in search of good fishing spots, during the Stone Age canoes were also a principal means of transportation. Imagine—in the narrow coastal lagoons one could cover up to 100 kilometres in less than a week!