Archaeology & History

Canoes discovered in Wisconin lake are 'older than the Great Pyramid'

By T.K. Randall
January 13, 2026 ·  2 comments

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) The find, which was made during excavations of Lake Mendota in Wisconsin, consists of 16 ancient 'dugout' canoes carved from individual tree trunks using primitive stone tools.

Reports of the discovery first emerged in 2021, but over the past few years additional excavations and research have revealed more canoes and many more details about the culture that built them.

Archaeologists now believe that the oldest of the boats dates back some 5,200 years to a time before even the Great Pyramid had been built, suggesting that North America was home to an advanced culture that may have even pre-dated the ancient Egyptians.

Whoever these people were, they were thought to have thrived for thousands of years, engaging in trade and fishing as well as undertaking spiritual journeys across the region.Overall, the findings represent a major shift in what we know of North America's history, rewriting the book on who might have been here long before settlers from Europe arrived.

These people were also highly skilled, as evidenced by the boats themselves which require some advanced techniques to shape and build.

"Archaeology is kind of like putting together pieces of a puzzle, and the more pieces you can find, the better you can start to form a picture of what was going on and why during a period of history," said Maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen.

"We can't go back in time to get answers to our questions, but we can examine the available data alongside knowledge from First Nations and cultural history to form theories to answer our questions."


Source: Mail Online | Comments (2)

Tags: Wisconsin, Ancient