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THE CAIRO DAHSHUR BOATS a Thesis by PEARCE PAUL THE CAIRO DAHSHUR BOATS A Thesis by PEARCE PAUL CREASMAN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2005 Major Subject: Anthropology THE CAIRO DAHSHUR BOATS A Thesis by PEARCE PAUL CREASMAN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Approved by: Chair of Committee, Cemal Pulak Committee Members, Filipe Vieira de Castro James Rosenheim Head of Department, David Carlson December 2005 Major Subject: Anthropology iii ABSTRACT The Cairo Dahshur Boats. (December 2005) Pearce Paul Creasman, B.A., The University of Maine Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Cemal Pulak Excavations conducted in A.D. 1894 and 1895 by French archaeologist Jean- Jacques de Morgan at the funerary complex of the ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom pharaoh Senwosret III on the plain of Dahshur revealed some unparalleled finds which included five or six small boats. These boats provide a unique opportunity in nautical archaeology—to study contemporaneous hulls. Today, only four of the "Dahshur boats" can be located with certainty; two are in the United States, one in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and one in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. The remaining two are on display in The Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Since their excavation these boats remained relatively inconspicuous until the mid-1980s when a study of the two hulls in the United States was conducted. However, the two boats in Cairo remained largely unpublished. This thesis combines personal observation and recording of the Cairo boats over two summers to reveal more unique characteristics of the hulls and will facilitate a future study of the group as a whole. Each boat is discussed individually and is further divided into its major components by order of construction. iv DEDICATION To my parents, as they all will be. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people and organizations have contributed to the completion of this work and it is only appropriate that I begin this thesis with thanks to those at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, who facilitated my research. I would like to thank the Supreme Council on Antiquities and past Director of the museum, Dr. M. Eldamaty, for receiving my original request to study the boats, and returning a favorable response in record time. Dr. Wafaa El Saddek, current General Director, provided interminable support and encouragement throughout my research despite an incident of spontaneous arrival; she deserves more than a simple "thank you." The time and patience of Mme. Salwah, curator of Middle Kingdom artifacts, and curator, Mr. Magdy, was much appreciated, while former-restorer Shimaa Sadek's humor and confidence provided comfort in several situations that could have otherwise been calamitous. Without the guidance and friendship of curator Waheed Edwar the work and time in Cairo would have proved very difficult, as such I cannot thank him enough. If not for the support of several institutions this project would have never come to fruition. Primarily, the contributions of RPM Nautical Foundation and Dr. Jeffrey Royal permitted me to take two teams of fellow graduate students to Cairo to assist in my research. The Institute of Nautical Archaeology, its staff, and notably Dr. Donny L. Hamilton, George O. Yamini Chair in Liberal Arts, helped me find my way to Egypt. The L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness, specifically Paige Chapman, Diego Garcia, and Carol Galjour, provided for shelter and sustenance while experiencing this small part of Africa. Associate Dean Larry Oliver, of the College of Liberal Arts, came through in a pinch and for his support I am grateful. vi The Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research and Dr. James Rosenheim were the first to actively support this research and without their help the completion and presentation of this work would not have been possible. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Cemal Pulak and Dr. Shelly Wachsmann for taking time to discuss parts of this research that were at times confounding. Dr. Filipe Castro was both provocative and encouraging in his support throughout this process as it was his ship reconstruction course that provided much of the impetus for this thesis. I would be remiss if I did not thank Lord Falcon for his distractions while writing that permitted me to keep this work in perspective. Also, I need to thank my grandparents—Robert and Yvonne Montgomery and Courtney and Pop Creasman for a lifetime of encouragement and examples. Finally, I must thank my parents, Clinton and Kay M. Creasman for too many things to mention. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT............................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION........................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 1 THE MIDDLE KINGDOM, THE 12TH DYNASTY, AND SENWOSRET III....... 15 EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, CAIRO GC 4925 - THE DE MORGAN BOAT................ 25 Dating.............................................................................................................. 35 Central Strake.................................................................................................. 37 Hull Planking................................................................................................... 44 Throughbeams and Deck Planking.................................................................. 53 Fastening and Joinery...................................................................................... 60 Tool Marks...................................................................................................... 65 Steering Arrangement...................................................................................... 66 Ornamentation................................................................................................. 70 Surface Decoration........................................................................................... 72 EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, CAIRO GC 4926................................................................ 74 Dating.............................................................................................................. 83 Central Strake.................................................................................................. 83 Hull Planking................................................................................................... 87 Throughbeams and Deck Planking.................................................................. 96 Fastening and Joinery...................................................................................... 102 Tool Marks...................................................................................................... 106 Steering Arrangement...................................................................................... 107 Ornamentation................................................................................................. 110 Surface Decoration.......................................................................................... 113 ANALYSIS................................................................................................................. 116 CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................ 132 viii Page WORKS CITED......................................................................................................... 134 APPENDIX................................................................................................................ 139 A CHRONOLOGY AND IMPORTANT DATES....................................... 139 B LINE TRANSLATION OF SELECT PAGES IN FOUILLES Á DÂHCHOUR (1895)........................................................................... 141 C THE TURIN CANON............................................................................... 142 D THE ROYAL TITULARY OF SENWOSRET III.................................... 143 E BENI HASSAN, TOMB 2/ MAIN ROOM, EAST WALL....................... 145 F TABLE OF DECK PLANK MEASUREMENTS FROM GC 4926......... 146 VITA........................................................................................................................... 149 ix LIST OF TABLES TABLE Page 1 Central strake dimensions in meters - de Morgan boat..................................... 37 2 Dimensions of strakes 1, 2, and 3 in meters - de Morgan boat......................... 49 3 Dimensions of strake 4 in meters - de Morgan boat......................................... 50 4 Dimensions of strake 5 (weather strake) in meters - de Morgan boat.............. 51 5 Dimensions of throughbeams and rooms in meters - de Morgan boat.............. 55 6 Dimensions of deck planking in meters and frequency of pegs and mortises..
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