The great River Nile is a generous gift of nature to the land of Egypt. It is a suitable route for transport of goods and for travelling in Egypt. Therefore, boat-building became important for this, and boats were constructed in various models each to serve a specific purpose.
The primary objective of boat-construction was for transport, for fishing activities and also to spend leisure-time. Hieroglyphics also depict the Egyptian boats of olden days. They seem to portray that their depiction has a major religious and mythological value.
Numerous remains of ancient Egyptian boats were found in Abydos and Tarkhan, as archaeologists were not able to find any in the ancient Kingdom of Egypt. The King Khufu's ship proves to depict a contemporary model exactly like the boat of ancient Egypt. It is a perfect portrayal of the ships designed during the ancient Egyptian period.
Boats belonging to the first dynasty were sighted at Abydos, and they have a well-defined plan. These were twenty five meters long and 2 to 3 meters wide. It was possible to accommodate thirty rowers even though it was just sixty centimeters deep. Both the prow and the stern gradually narrowed towards the ends in a typical manner. Historical facts prove that Egyptian boats were also decorated with paintings.
The boats were made from wood that caused them to decay over time and hence historians were not able to conduct a comprehensive analysis. The opinion of the majority is that the wood used for Egyptian boats during the first dynasty was cedar.
The technical methods of construction have also been determined by archaeologists. Trees were cut and then wooden planks were made. These were lashed and smoothed by vigorous scrubbing and then a mortise was used to finish the process. After the structure was erected, the tiny seams were sealed by using many reeds. This prevented water from entering the boats. If the covering of the boat was removed, it can be seen that the shape is not perfect, because they did not use any supportive frame as in today's boats.
Ships and boats of the ancient Egyptian period are drawn in their popular script called hieroglyphics. A lot of such paintings and drawings decorate the walls and even tombs especially in Medinet Habu and also in Deir el Bahri. Both these places are famous on account of such scripts showing Egyptian boats and ships.
Hieroglyphics have helped Egyptologists to a great extent in understanding the boat-making methods of ancient Egypt. The actual remains of boats have helped comparatively to a lesser extent. However, the ship-construction methods of the new kingdom are not clearly learned by historians.
The state gave significance to boat and ship construction. Rulers such as Pharaoh Snefru promoted this task by supporting them. This also enabled them to strengthen the Navy. Boats were also built for fishing and leisure time activities.
The primary objective of boat-construction was for transport, for fishing activities and also to spend leisure-time. Hieroglyphics also depict the Egyptian boats of olden days. They seem to portray that their depiction has a major religious and mythological value.
Numerous remains of ancient Egyptian boats were found in Abydos and Tarkhan, as archaeologists were not able to find any in the ancient Kingdom of Egypt. The King Khufu's ship proves to depict a contemporary model exactly like the boat of ancient Egypt. It is a perfect portrayal of the ships designed during the ancient Egyptian period.
Boats belonging to the first dynasty were sighted at Abydos, and they have a well-defined plan. These were twenty five meters long and 2 to 3 meters wide. It was possible to accommodate thirty rowers even though it was just sixty centimeters deep. Both the prow and the stern gradually narrowed towards the ends in a typical manner. Historical facts prove that Egyptian boats were also decorated with paintings.
The boats were made from wood that caused them to decay over time and hence historians were not able to conduct a comprehensive analysis. The opinion of the majority is that the wood used for Egyptian boats during the first dynasty was cedar.
The technical methods of construction have also been determined by archaeologists. Trees were cut and then wooden planks were made. These were lashed and smoothed by vigorous scrubbing and then a mortise was used to finish the process. After the structure was erected, the tiny seams were sealed by using many reeds. This prevented water from entering the boats. If the covering of the boat was removed, it can be seen that the shape is not perfect, because they did not use any supportive frame as in today's boats.
Ships and boats of the ancient Egyptian period are drawn in their popular script called hieroglyphics. A lot of such paintings and drawings decorate the walls and even tombs especially in Medinet Habu and also in Deir el Bahri. Both these places are famous on account of such scripts showing Egyptian boats and ships.
Hieroglyphics have helped Egyptologists to a great extent in understanding the boat-making methods of ancient Egypt. The actual remains of boats have helped comparatively to a lesser extent. However, the ship-construction methods of the new kingdom are not clearly learned by historians.
The state gave significance to boat and ship construction. Rulers such as Pharaoh Snefru promoted this task by supporting them. This also enabled them to strengthen the Navy. Boats were also built for fishing and leisure time activities.
About the Author:
Ancient Egyptian Bastet Clothes are becoming more known around the world. For additional reading about a similar topic select the link to Ancient Egyptian Symbols.