A few examples of early large boats capable of long voyages have been found, but finding evidence of early constructions sites is not so easy.
Most of the boats that are found are preserved under special circumstances in unique locations, how do you look for construction sites?
An archaeological site in Monmouth, Wales has produced what news reports indicate is a construction site for large catamaran-like boats.
At one time, the area was under a lake, but as it dried one spot provided Bronze Age Britons (2500 BCE to 800 BCE) both the resources to build large boats and a natural slippery clay soil to slide them out to the water. The boats would have been very stable, apparently more stable that what would be necessary for lake fishing, which raises some questions:
Did the lake have an outlet to the sea?
Are these boats evidence of long-distance trade?
The article says that the area was inhabited for thousands of years, was it another stop on an ancient trade route?
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