Experts have added another skillset to at least one group of hunter-gatherers: paddling. Research now shows that some stalwart seafarers stroked their way from mainland Europe to the island of Malta, about 60 miles away, about 8,500 years ago, according to an article in the journal Nature. The finding represents the longest known watery crossing of its time — all the more remarkable because it predates the invention of boats with sails.
The researchers hypothesize that the canoeists tapped into sea currents and winds to propel them to their destination. They likely navigated by using landmarks and, possibly, stars since they almost certainly completed part of their journey at night. Such a distance, at an average speed of about 2.5 miles an hour, would require that part of the journey to take place after sunset.
“Even on the longest day of the year, these seafarers would have had over several hours of darkness in open water,” Nicholas Vella, a University of Malta researcher and co-author of the study, said in a press release.
