Ancient Egyptian BoatsEGYPTIAN: BOOKSHELF BOATS DILWYN JONES Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum PressContents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, 6 Obelisk barges 64 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 7 Decoration 66 ABBREVIATIONS 8 — Paddling/ Rowing 68 INTRODUCTION g Equipment 69 Ballast 69 1 Crew members 70 BOATS IN RITUAL AND BELIEF 12 Ships in funerary beliefs 2 4 Fanerary texts and underworld books 14 Boar surepinc Funerary journeys 18 Woodworking techniques 72 Sacred barks 20 Boat building 73 2 Dockvards/harbours 80 SOURCES OF EVIDENCE 96 Dockyard and port personnel 82 Boat models 26 Goxerusion Boat pts 33° Grossary oF Tees 3 FURTHER READING ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BOATS 36. APPENDIX Old Kingdom 36 Reisner Types Middle Kingdom 45 Tutankhamun Types 92 New Kingdom 49 ILLUSTRATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 93— Introduction= « e an ‘eapeiton i illsrated bys kclingmn hoings bo lose Nate m ad. temple can be si ol ie pro aa the seriveope ofthe Nowtland (RAR 1 mn Hath South, the mooringeake ofthe Southerners the excellent sterner the Northland! (BAR 1, $340, Nobles, sch ax Harkhu and Neto PS ES slieshemra of the Sisth Dynasty, recor in thie tomb bigraphies that besides giving bread tothe hungry and clothes to the nae they ha vhs the boas o Land similar clin is ce by hee fore dhe assembled gp in the Hall of Judgement have given bread tothe hungry, ater tthe thirsty, clothes to the naked, a boat thi who teas boaters FED, Sp 125, p32) od vas the ownership of 4 bust with th val that a certain Wentfe, who Lived in the Polemaic cl speak of hel a one who protected the weak from the strong, so as to be a foreyboat for everyone. (ABL 1h, 99) From cari i the boat was eondered indigpensubl to thee ceased’ survival inthe allersfe and was away inka arnong, his Ferry equipment. Prince Minkhal, a son of Khufy (Cheops) wl served as vii during the rogn of Khas (2520-2054 mt , ha four dierent ypesof boats inch nao fering his sarcophagus. Kaemankh, eho lived doing th only mentons ine diferentes the walls bal shows his whole dockyard arson the side of ‘Sixth Dynasty, not ts histomb at Oia -ompletewith worker and hte nation of bats ape the preserved en decorated The calc ep pred rok deaings of Ut From eracet, bone and ory are amo Egypt and Nubia ig stew objects dlscovered in Exypt. A large paining of ostingce and a boat appears on Traginents af = linen cloth fom «ave at Gebelen, proving the existence even at this cary date of a well ‘sublishe hoat-budding eation, A boa s depicted on the Narne palete wich dates tothe peiud ofthe nation of Upp nt LeneCHAPTER ONE Boats in ritual and belief Sins rs rUNPRARY BELTS I common with many of the work’ civlbations, the Ancknt Eayptns believed that the dead ha to cass a aetch of wate desribed nthe ex asthe Winding Waterway ,beloe they oul esutrecton in the hereafter. Travel by bos was rcutren thee in thei elgious terse May the soul of N (the deceased) g0 up with you to the ‘may he travel in che Day-bark, may he moor i the Night bark, may he ix with the Uniecurying Sters i the shy. (BD, Sp. 15, p41) This destination was.apleeclledthe ‘Fes of Oferings othe ‘Fe of Rushes afirileland where the deceased coud he seiland iveon the The doors ofthe shy are opened for you, the doors of the firmament are throsun opon to ou, that you may travel by ‘boat the Field of Rushes, that you may cultivate barley, ‘hat you may reap smmer and prepare your sustenance therefrom lke Horus the som of Atm. (EPT, Ut. 461) TThesame though gcxpresed machlaterhy the sre Paberi of E-Kab, sho Ived ander ether Tuthmos or Hatshepmat 304-1158 of he Eighteenth Day You cross in the forry without being hindered. You fare on (he water's flowing flood. You come tolifea secon time. ABL 1, p17) he next and numerous spel call upon the godt provide te devas ith dhe means af passage io the nex ie 0 sounding-poles of Horus, O wings of Thoth, ferry me ‘across, do not leave me boatles. (EPT, Ui. 513) [Thoth] listens to me; he has removed my impediment, and twill not be boatless, [ill not be turned asa from the horizon, for 1am Rey, I will not be Boatless i the great crossing. (FCT i, Sp. 1099) ve dhe king was not name rom such ear the forry-bouts are made rey for the son of Aton, forthe Son of Atwm isnot Boatlens The king is bound forthe som of Atuon, and the som of Atun isnot boatless. (PPT, Ut. 615) Hover, snc the majority did not ae dhe mean to provide them selves vt fulsize ots, they had co make do wth minicar copies ‘models which ould serveasmagieal unites and thereby guarante them a steans of passage ino the other worlds the ge ant tars traversed the sky andthe waters of the Netherworld by boat, 0 al ‘woul the deceased join the san-godin his sk sol erent shy by day and the river of the Netherworld by night The fear of bring stranded sethot a hoot give keto dh ale expr Test The spel alld the dread to ston the Peryan ofthe Winding-Waterway’, appropriately named “Backavar Loker because his ace wasted baekwaede ar he poe is buat along 0 hin sro to the her side ih © Ra commend me to MAHAL {hats Backwards Look the forryman of the Winding Watereeay, s0 that he may bring sme his fory Boat which belongs to the Winding-Wateray, in twhich he ferries the gods to yonder side of the Winding: Waterway t0 the eustorm se ofthe shy. (PPT, Ut. 359) However, unlike Chagon of Casal ise ho demande only a abo ashisfve for uansportng the dead across the Ss the Feenna of the Egyptian after beg off 0 ea. The ptone ha fest vo demonstrat that he wis pre and fee fom moral blemish O,y0u zeho fory over the righteous boatlese as the forryman ofthe Field of Rushes, Lem deemed righteous i the shy and onearth... (RPT, Ut. 517) tht he ew the Ferryman’s mame the nares of dba portsiFCT Sp 395, 198; FBD, Sp 0 andlast, buco ease pnsesed therOnly ater dhe deceased hal ovccesflly wdergoe this racer ation could he expect tobe ga min tester the ferry td ps fem this world int the nex UME ARs TENTS AND UNDERNORLO HOOKS The Bani Tats iseribe cm the walls ofthe royal pyran of the fh ‘wooden coi carly date the sy. a ms Dut diy-bar Esypsan tha tie sin te pare hey called the“ a tributary of the N ‘wold and rom which al ieee on which the bark of Ra raved uring the hours of night unt emerged in he muring i he east The so-alled ‘Books or compilation af pels ofthe New Kingdom, ‘Bok of Wha the Unde ci Daa The Ret ate wns ad The Bul of Daya Nht conn and devel te same these. Al have their ign inthe erie Pm ad Ca txts 1 aldhough each esplays its nen variation of the sun-g's journey 1 the process of wansformadon and regeneration which he had to undergo during bie nocnimal voyage, all in essence describe Ra's ld at night inthe west and his vietoions a scarab beetle cally, dhe Egyptians coil envi pereunal eye where the sky goss Nut avallowe the bark in dhe ewening bole it passed through her bed during the ight reemerge in the morning herwcen her thighs. This ppular concepts sraphicalyilwtrated onthe alabaster sarcophagus Sty (10-1200 and on the cling of Rams v's 1131-1149 ne burl hares in the Valley of the Kin fe andl death as a par of a ithe signi often dept athe we cecupant ofthe boa sore analy he accompanied by eine of ether ors wo as his sof Wepwawe, the ‘Opener-ahe-Waye ew. These usualy con Thoth, he gd of writing, Hike Six the person ni pomer al coguisance, and Hythe divine pri oferatve speech fig 3) Often, Ma oak. As"Lady 0 ole as her name inp, wo gi he bark S take ther lace inthe bare the istic, je ako shown stanling on the prow a the Bark i wae e @ e ‘occasions the bout ic ao sd oe manned by the sas: ‘The King shall go aboard the bark like Ra onthe banks of the Winding: Waterway. The King shall be rowed by the Unwoarying Stars und shall give orders tothe Imperishable Stars. (EPT, Ue 697) Having gained admitance othe hank, the decease as expected o be active member afte boatscre, He hal oro ad plot dhe at a ie eho ows al dace not tie in de Bark of Ra? FUT 1, Spe 159, To): -Lake my oar, row Ra wher eaersng the shy.” PTC He mast ako help with the boars ropes and rigging: “The bark of Ra teavels inthe Abyes hat the Nun} ad tT ho take her TCT ny, Sp 681 am be who has change ofthe Hxing in Buk’ [FCT 1, Sp. 150, He ws also exported to supervise the crew: command the get's bark for hin’ (FPT, Un. 310) anc! was allowed to 1 [thatthe deceased] is he som of Ra hosters Bs Dark wil ae wpszeam at the, il ie the voyages. FCT Sp. 68 The deceased fie afin that he has performed his tsk fcc