ABSTRACT
Traditionally man’s first craft is assumed to have been a floating log, the fortuitous gift of a swollen river – not that any evidence is ever likely to emerge to decide for or against this theory. Such a single unworked log has serious limitations, and real advance would not be possible until the development of some form of contrived craft. Although the use of fire was known, there is not much reason to suppose that these early hunters of the Lower Palaeolithic had either the tools or the margin of time available to stay in one place long enough for the fairly lengthy and elaborate operation of hollowing-out a dug-out. Similar considerations apply to the bark canoe. The abundance and wide distribution of flint scrapers suggest the skin clothing which must have made possible the northward advance into colder lands. Yet there is nothing in these collections which imply sewing or extensive fastening, so any rudimentary form of skin boat is ruled out at this early stage.
