The tree trunk is 3 meters long and 44 centimeters wide. Both Wanders and researchers see that the tree trunk has been processed by people. But at that time it is still unclear what the object is. It could be a canoe, but, for example, it could also be a feeding bin.
The tree trunk is extensively investigated. In this way it is found that the wood from the tree trunk is ten thousand years old. That is the period of the middle stone time. At that time, people lived from hunting and gathering. “This means that the tree trunk is used as a feeder,” Irini Biezeveld explains, curator archeology of the Drents Museum. “At that time, people did not live in fixed places, but traveled around and did not have any cattle.”
For research purposes and to prove that the tree trunk is actually a canoe, a replica was made with prehistoric tools in 2001. The canoe floats, even if there are people in it. “In addition, Pesse’s canoe looks like canoes that are slightly younger and even today, canoes are still being made in this way,” says Biezeveld.
The canoe of Pesse that Boer Wanders found along the side of the road is now in a display case in the Drents Museum. The canoe still looks good. “That’s because it was found in a river bed with a veny surface. The peat is quite acidic, and because of that sour soil, wood is stored very well,” explains Biezeveld. “That is why the canoe actually looks very new.”