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Abgadiyat 11 (2016) Ward 150-159 PDF

Abdel Moneim Abdel Halim Sayed's discoveries at Marsa Gawasis on Egypt's Red Sea coast provided the first physical evidence of ancient Egyptian seafaring during the second millennium BCE. His work inspired further exploration into the nature and extent of Egyptian voyages on the Red Sea and business of seafaring in Egypt during the Middle Kingdom. The document discusses the origins and development of seafaring and boat building technology in ancient Egypt, noting that early Egyptian boats were constructed differently than later Mediterranean seagoing craft due to local materials and conditions. It evaluates finds from the Gawasis site that provide insights into Egyptian seafaring practices during this period.

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Michele Marcolin
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107 views1 page

Abgadiyat 11 (2016) Ward 150-159 PDF

Abdel Moneim Abdel Halim Sayed's discoveries at Marsa Gawasis on Egypt's Red Sea coast provided the first physical evidence of ancient Egyptian seafaring during the second millennium BCE. His work inspired further exploration into the nature and extent of Egyptian voyages on the Red Sea and business of seafaring in Egypt during the Middle Kingdom. The document discusses the origins and development of seafaring and boat building technology in ancient Egypt, noting that early Egyptian boats were constructed differently than later Mediterranean seagoing craft due to local materials and conditions. It evaluates finds from the Gawasis site that provide insights into Egyptian seafaring practices during this period.

Uploaded by

Michele Marcolin
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Seafaring in Ancient Egypt

Cheryl Ward

For more than 40 years, Abdel Moneim Abdel crafts were built of thick planks fastened by lashing
Halim Sayed sought evidence to expand our and by mortise-and-tenon joints that were not locked
knowledge of ancient Egyptian seafaring in texts, in place with pegs. These wooden boats are built like
images, and along the Red Sea coast. His work in those of no other culture in the world then or since.
this area provided the first, and for many years, the I have argued elsewhere that wooden boat building
only physical evidence of a second millennium BCE technology evolved independently within Egypt
presence on the Red Sea and inspired a number of in response to local conditions and within a social
students and scholars to further explore questions structure that relied on boats as a means to legitimize
related to the nature of Egyptian voyages on the Great power through participation in a regional trade
Green. This brief contribution assesses the impact of network at least occasionally accessed via the Red Sea
Professor Sayed’s discoveries at Marsa Gawasis on our before the third millennium.2
understanding of the business of going to sea in the
Early boat builders in Egypt had sufficient raw
Middle Kingdom through an evaluation of relevant
materials, easy conditions for traveling on the Nile,
finds from the joint Italian–American expedition at
and other resources that made travel attractive to
Gawasis currently directed by Rodolfo Fattovich of
sedentary populations. Abundant native timbers and
the University of Naples l’Orientale and Kathryn
buoyant grasses or reeds allowed experimentation and
Bard of Boston University.
evolution, both of which are visible archaeologically in
The origins of seafaring in the Red Sea are currently the earliest villages in Egypt. Tracing Mediterranean
ill-defined, but the presence of Red Sea shells at Nile seafaring this early is also tenuous, but possible
Valley sites in increasing numbers from the Naqada II through inscriptions of the Second Dynasty ruler
period onward suggest a growing familiarity with Khasekhemwy (c. 2714–2687 BCE) at Byblos,
the Eastern Desert and Red Sea coast. At the same Lebanon, and by identifying contact with the
time, models, images, and by the early First Dynasty, northern branch of Mesopotamian civilizations along
planked wooden boats at Nile sites show a steady a Mediterranean route.
development of boatbuilding technology. Twenty-
The Palermo Stone presents scholars with the first
two ancient Egyptian watercraft built for use on the
secure written evidence for Mediterranean seafaring
Nile date from about 3000 to about 500 BCE.1 As
in a mention of 40 ships, loaded with cedar, in the
Egyptian construction techniques used to build these
early Fourth Dynasty reign of Snefru. Cedar, desired
riverine vessels differ significantly from those of later
for its strength, durability, beauty, ease of working,
Mediterranean seagoing craft, many scholars assumed
length, and particularly its incense-like odor, grows
that Egyptian ships would more closely reflect
even today in the mountains of Lebanon, and its
Mediterranean-type construction. For example, river
traditional source in Egyptian texts is Lebanon. Two

150 Abgadiyat 2016

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