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Print This Article Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections ­From­River­to­Sea:­Evidence­for­Egyptian­Seafaring­Ships Cheryl­Ward Coastal­Carolina­­University A!01/ "1 Questions over when and how the ancient Egyptians went to sea continue to engage scholars in debate. Recent excavations of ship timbers at a pharaonic harbor on the Red Sea provide direct evidence for technological approaches that affirm Egypt’s idiosyncratic patterns of ship and boat construction (as familiar om Nile riverboats, which provide the largest and most ancient assemblage of watercra before the classical period). is technological patterning illustrates comparable antiquity to other artisanal products of the upper hierarchies of the state. Reconstruction of a twenty-meter vessel—based on archaeological evidence om seagoing timbers, representations, models, and river hulls— resulted in an efficient and effective sailing ship. rom­its­earliest­days,­Egyptian­society­clearly­relied­on I,#(/$"1 E3(#$,"$ boats­and­maritime­travel.­Archaeologists­have­excavated Fthousands­of­boat­and­ship­representations­and­models Although­Egypt­is­bordered­by­two­seas,­seafaring­by­the that­date­from­the­Neolithic­long­past­the­end­of­the­dyna ancient­Egyptians­has­been,­until­recently,­supported­only­by indeed,­Egypt­boasts­the­largest­assemblage­of­Bronze­Age­water - indirect­evidence. 3 No­shipwrecks­of­demonstrably­Egyptian­ori - cra­in­the­ancient­world.­Nevertheless,­little­direct­evidence­of gin­have­been­located.­In­the­Mediterranean,­artifacts­such­as seafaring­has­been­found. Naqada­II­pottery­found­off­Israel’s­shore,­a­stone­vase­fragment Yet­while­the­origins­of­seafaring­in­Egypt­remain­poorly bearing­the­name­of­the­Second­Dynasty­ruler­Khasekemwy, defined,­the­steady­proliferation­of­burials­from­mid–fourth­mil - and­a­gold­Egyptian­axe­head­found­in­Lebanon—inscribed lennium­Nile­Valley­sites­includes­seashells­and­fragments­of with­the­Fourth­Dynasty­epithet­“the­boat­crew­Pacified-is-the- copper­that­document­at­least­an­early­familiarity­with­the­Red Two-Falcons-of-Gold­port­gang”—complement­a­variety­of­tex - Sea.­At­the­same­time,­representations—and,­by­the­First tual­sources­that­indicate­regular­contact­with­the­Levant­(espe - Dynasty­(ca.­3050­ bce ),­planked­wooden­boats­deposited­as cially­Byblos)­from­the­early­third­millennium. 4 Familiar­evi - part­of­burial­monuments­along­the­Nile—illustrate­a­progres - dence­includes­the­mention­of­forty­ships­loaded­with­ s wood sion­toward­complex­boatbuilding­technology­(Figure­1). 1 (probably­cedar)­brought­to­Egypt­during­the­Fourth­Dynasty The­Punt­reliefs­at­Hatshepsut’s­mortuary­temple­at­Deir reign­of­Snefru­(ca. 2600 bce ),­as­recorded­on­the­Palermo el-Bahri­(ca.­1480­ bce )­engaged­many­scholars­interested­in Stone. 5 From­the­late­Predynastic,­small­quantities­of­cedar questions­of­how,­when,­and­where­the­ancient­Egyptians (Cedrus libani )­occur­at­Nile­sites,­and­cedar­planks­over­two went­to­sea.­These­reliefs­served­as­the­primary­template­for meters­long,­as­well­as­statues,­coffins,­and­furniture,­are­known discussions­of­Red­Sea­trade­until­2005,­when­preliminary from­the­Early­Dynastic­period. 6 Most­striking­in­terms­of­vol - excavations­at­Mersa/Wadi­Gawasis­by­a­Boston­University ume­of­trade­is­a­43.5-m-long­cedar­hull­reassembled­beside and­University­of­Naples­team­uncovered­a­vast­complex­for Khufu’s­pyramid.­A­second­“ship­kit”­remains­disassembled­and staging­round-trip­voyages­to­Punt,­primarily­of­Middle unexcavated­in­an­adjacent­boat­grave,­providing­physical­evi - Kingdom­date. 2 Recent­Institut­français­d’archéologie­orien - dence­for­high-volume­trade­in­cedar. 7 Ezra­Marcus­summarizes tale­( ifao )­excavations­at­Ayn­Soukhna­near­Suez­discovered much­of­this­indirect­evidence­and­offers­a­provocative­and­con - a­similar­facility­with­stored­ship­timbers,­probably­supporting vincing­analysis­of­Middle­Kingdom­Mediterranean­seafaring shorter­voyages­linked­to­direct­acquisition­of­raw­materials and­the­transport­of­slaves,­cedar,­and­booty­with­respect­to­the across­the­Gulf­of­Suez. Mit­Rahina­inscription­of­Amenemhat­II. 8 In­this­paper,­I­review­archaeological­evidence­for­Egyptian Twelve­ships­portrayed­with­fine­details­of­rigging,­hull seafaring­vessels­before­1450­ bce and­briefly­describe­the­recon - construction,­cargo,­and­passengers­on­the­Fifth­Dynasty struction­of­a­Red­Sea­Punt­ship­at­full­scale. causeway­of­Sahure­further­demonstrate­Egyptian­voyages­in Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections | http://jaei.library.arizona.edu | Vol. 2:3, 2010 | 42–49 42 C. Ward | ­From River to Sea: Evidence for Egyptian Seafaring Ships Figure . Edge-joined planks and an angled (rather than curved) cross-section are characteristic of both the Abydos boats (left) and Khufu watercraft (right). Drawings by the author. Figure . Details in the Punt reliefs at Hatshepsut’s funerary temple accurately represent a functional rigging plan. Photograph by the author. the­Mediterranean­along­established­routes­by­the­mid–third reliable­conclusions­have­been­reached­about­these­Red­Sea­ves - millennium.­Excavations­in­the­mortuary­temple­of­Sahure­at sels,­called­ hw or­ kbn.wt ,­translated­as­“Byblos­ships.”­I suggest Abusir­by­Miroslav­Verner­and­the­Supreme­Council­of that­recent­discoveries­on­the­Red­Sea­coast­support­the­argu - Antiquities­of­Egypt­apparently­document­decorated­relief ment­that­ kbn.t specifically­refers­to­the­wood­source­for­seago - fragments­featuring­an­incense­tree­as­well­as­inscriptions­refer - ing­vessels­as­cedars­from­the­Levant,­rather­than­to­ships­built encing­primates,­dogs,­and­Puntites.­The­expedition­took for­the­Byblos­trade­or­by­people­from­Byblos. place­in­Sahure’s­thirteenth­regnal­year­(ca.­2443­ bce )­and, according­to­the­Palermo­Stone,­returned­from­Punt­with S'(. T(+!$/0 %/-+ E5" 3 1(-,0 1 incense­trees­and­80,000­measures­of­incense. M$/0 /W #( G 4 0(0 Such­a­capacity­suggests­the­use­of­relatively­large­ships operated­by­crews­with­experience­in­successfully­navigating­the e­first­direct­evidence­of­pharaonic­seafaring­in­Egyptian reef-lined­shores­of­the­Red­Sea,­as­dramatically­illustrated­by ships­was­uncovered­in­excavations­at­Mersa/Wadi­Gawasis.­e the­Hatshepsut­Punt­reliefs­(Figure­2).­e­Hatshepsut­vessels site,­earlier­examined­by­Abdel­Monem­el­Sayed­of­the generated­significant­speculative­scholarly­discussion, 9 but­few University­of­Alexandria, 10 was­ Saww ,­a­harbor­and­staging­area Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections | http://jaei.library.arizona.edu | Vol. 2:3, 2010 | 42–49 43 C. Ward | ­From River to Sea: Evidence for Egyptian Seafaring Ships for­sea­voyages.­Short­fragments­of­cedar­planks,­bearing­mor - tises­for­edge-fastening­with­tenons,­complemented­inscriptions on­limestone­anchors­arranged­as­shrines­above­the­bay.­Only­a single­historic­steel­anchor­was­documented­by­a­1994­underwa - ter­survey­by­the­Institute­of­Nautical­Archaeology,­Egypt,­at Mersa­Gawasis, 11 but­the­site­continued­to­intrigue­archaeolo - gists.­Beginning­with­a­2001­survey,­an­Italian-American­expedi - tion­(directed­by­Rodolfo­Fattovich­of­the­University­of­Naples “Institut­l’Orientale”­and­Kathryn­Bard­of­Boston­University) has­documented­its­use,­primarily­during­the­Middle­Kingdom. 12 A­number­of­inscriptions­honoring­the­officials­and­kings­who organized­the­trips­to­Punt­emphasize­its­special­function. Since­2004,­excavations­have­identified­at­least­eight­rooms and­galleries­carved­about­twenty­meters­deep­into­the­fossil coral­terrace­and­incorporating­work,­habitation,­and­ritual­areas (Figure­3).­Geological­and­geophysical­mapping­outline­a lagoonal­system­linked­to­the­sea,­with­sufficient­water­depth­to allow­large­ships­access.­Some­of­the­first­artifacts­found­were two­wooden­rudder­blades­for­a­steering­oar, 13 Egyptian-type stone­anchors,­and­cedar­ship­timbers­rife­with­traces­of­ship - worms,­the­larval­form­of­wood-devouring­mollusks. 14 Combined­with­the­archaeological­evidence,­hieroglyphic texts­carved­on­stelae­and­anchors­at­the­site—as­well­as­hieratic texts­on­ostraca­and­papyrus­fragments—permit­preliminary reconstruction­of­site­activities.­Gawasis­regularly­served­as­a frontier­post­for­staging­seafaring­expeditions­to­Punt­during Figure . The complex site at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis supported expe - the­Middle­Kingdom,­perhaps­at­times­when­conflicts­with ditions to Punt and Bia Punt for about five hundred years, accord - groups­on­the­central­Nile­closed­traditional­land­routes. 15 ing to texts and ceramics found at the site. Plan courtesy of Joint Discoveries­there­provide­direct­evidence­that­when­the Archaeological Expedtion at Mersa/Wadi Gawasis. Egyptians­sought­exotic­raw­materials­such­as­incense,­ivory, and­animals­from­the­southern­Red­Sea­region,­they­sailed­the ancient­planks­at­Gawasis­may­be­related­to­this­process Red­Sea­in­ships­built­of­imported­cedar. (Figure 4).­e­Intef-iker­stele­from­Gawasis­records­more­than Trade,­tribute,­and­military­actions­in­the­region­of­modern 3,200­men­as­part­of­an­expedition­that­transported­the­ship Lebanon­and­Syria­provided­the­ancient­Egyptians­with­cedar kits­to­ Saww. In­addition­to­transporting­timbers,­probably for­ships,­furniture,­statues,­coffins,­and­other­finely­craed with­the­help­of­donkeys,­the­men­reassembled­the­ships­and objects.­Marcus­recently­argued­that­the­Mit­Rahina­inscription outfitted­each­vessel­with­a­square­sail­(almost­certainly­of suggests­two­ships­returned­from­a­single­expedition­with linen)­as­well­as­oars­to­use­for­maneuvering­in­and­out­of­port 8–134 tons­of­cedar,­depending­on­whether­trunks­or­cut­wood each­night.­Others­visited­a­quarry­about­ten­kilometers­west­to are­referenced. 16 It­is­likely­that­imports­such­as­this­and­other acquire­white­limestone­for­the­manufacture­of­weight­anchors briefly­mentioned­examples­were­shipped­as­trimmed,­roughly and­anchor­“blanks”­like­the­twenty-six­so­far­recorded­at shaped­balks­or­squared­logs.­Cedar­intended­for­ships­was­trans - Gawasis­by­Chiara­Zazzaro­and­Mohamed­Abd­el-Maguid.
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