Ancient boats discovered beneath lake ‘older than Egyptian pyramid’ that ‘alter historical past’
Archaeologists have uncovered ancient canoes, including one that’s 5,200 years old, making it even older than Egypt’s Great Pyramid, proving a sophisticated Indigenous culture
A new prehistoric discovery in a Wisconsin lake has revealed the existence of an advanced culture in America (Image: Tamara Thomsen/Wisconsin Historic Society)
A groundbreaking discovery has uncovered ancient means of transportation, revealing the evidence of another sophisticated culture around the same time as ancient Egypt. The astonishing findings suggested that another elaborate society existed in a completely different continent.
Ancient canoes, including one dating back 5,200 years, older than Egypt’s Great Pyramid, was found beneath Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota in the US. This revealed a long-lived culture in North America that thrived alongside early Egyptians.
These findings, including 16 dugout boats crafted from hardwoods, suggest advanced boat-building and trade networks existed in the region thousands of years ago. This ultimately reshapes our understanding of prehistoric American civilisations.
Archaeologists have recently discovered six more ancient canoes beneath the waters of Lake Mendota, including one estimated to be about 5,200 years old. This means that the object predates the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza by centuries.
Since 2021, a total of 16 dugout canoes have been identified in the lake, each meticulously carved from single tree trunks using fire and rudimentary tools such as stones and shells, the Daily Mail reported. Radiocarbon dating of the wood reportedly revealed that these watercraft were constructed between 1300 AD and as far back as 3000 BC.
The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) has stated that these discoveries dramatically alter our understanding of North American history. As a result, the findings show that people on the American continent formed organised societies much earlier than previously believed.
The canoes were reportedly found 30 feet underwater, often grouped together along old travel routes, showing that Lake Mendota was a busy place for many years. The oldest canoe further proves that the ancestors of the Ho-Chunk people, a Native American tribe from the region that is now Wisconsin, lived there at the same time as the ancient Egyptians.
Most of the ancient boats were reportedly made from tough oak trees, with the oldest one, built around the time of the Egyptian pyramids, carved from red oak.
Experts say using red oak is odd because it usually soaks up water, but clever ancient builders may have found ways to make the wood more waterproof by choosing special trees or even damaging them on purpose.
The nearby Lake Wingra, likely traversed by these early canoeists, holds special spiritual significance for the Ho-Chunk, who regard one of its springs as a sacred portal to another world.
As Dr. Amy Rosebrough, state archaeologist for the WHS, noted: “One of its springs, with its white clay bottom, is viewed as a portal to the spirit world.
“For generations, the Ho-Chunk have honored this place through ceremonies of remembrance.”
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