The great River Nile is a nice gift of nature to the land of Egypt. It serves as a suitable route for transport of goods as well as for travelling in Egypt. Thus, boat-building became essential for this, and boats were constructed in various models each to serve a certain purpose.
Primarily boats were made for the purpose of transportation, fishing and leisure activities. Ancient Egyptian boats can also be seen portrayed in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and they also played a huge role in Egyptian religion and mythology.
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 much like the boat of ancient Egypt. It is a perfect portrayal of the ships designed in the ancient Egyptian period.
Boats belonging to the first dynasty were sighted at Abydos, and they have a well-defined plan. They were twenty five meters long and two to three meters wide. It was possible to allow 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 therefore historians were not able to conduct an intensive 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. They were lashed and smoothed by vigorous scrubbing and then a mortise was used to complete the process. After the structure was erected, the tiny seams were sealed by using several reeds. This prevented water from entering the boats. If the covering of the boat was removed, it can be observed that the shape is not perfect, as they did not use any supportive frame as in today's boats.
Lots of Egyptian boats and ships are portrayed in their ancient script of hieroglyphics. Many of them are pictorially represented on the temple walls and tombs of Deir el Bahri and Medinet Habu. These monuments are well-known for the wide range of ancient Egyptian boats displayed on their walls.
Egyptian historians have relied more on hieroglyphics to learn about the methods used for making ancient Egyptian boats, than on the remaining pieces of these boats discovered in various parts of Egypt. They still have a long way to go in finding out the boat and ship-building ways of the later kingdom.
The state would also encourage the building of boats and ships. Some ruling authorities such as Pharaoh Snefru motivated and patronized the building of boats and ships to enhance the strength of the Navy. In other cases boats were created for recreational and fishing purposes.
Primarily boats were made for the purpose of transportation, fishing and leisure activities. Ancient Egyptian boats can also be seen portrayed in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and they also played a huge role in Egyptian religion and mythology.
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 much like the boat of ancient Egypt. It is a perfect portrayal of the ships designed in the ancient Egyptian period.
Boats belonging to the first dynasty were sighted at Abydos, and they have a well-defined plan. They were twenty five meters long and two to three meters wide. It was possible to allow 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 therefore historians were not able to conduct an intensive 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. They were lashed and smoothed by vigorous scrubbing and then a mortise was used to complete the process. After the structure was erected, the tiny seams were sealed by using several reeds. This prevented water from entering the boats. If the covering of the boat was removed, it can be observed that the shape is not perfect, as they did not use any supportive frame as in today's boats.
Lots of Egyptian boats and ships are portrayed in their ancient script of hieroglyphics. Many of them are pictorially represented on the temple walls and tombs of Deir el Bahri and Medinet Habu. These monuments are well-known for the wide range of ancient Egyptian boats displayed on their walls.
Egyptian historians have relied more on hieroglyphics to learn about the methods used for making ancient Egyptian boats, than on the remaining pieces of these boats discovered in various parts of Egypt. They still have a long way to go in finding out the boat and ship-building ways of the later kingdom.
The state would also encourage the building of boats and ships. Some ruling authorities such as Pharaoh Snefru motivated and patronized the building of boats and ships to enhance the strength of the Navy. In other cases boats were created for recreational and fishing purposes.
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