Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World

One other type of vessel had a vitally important purpose

in ancient Egypt and was used throughout the Dynastic Pe-

riod: the barge. Th ese vessels were similar in construction

to seagoing vessels but had no sails and were of potentially

massive size. Th ey were used from the earliest times to trans-

port stone for monumental sculpture and construction from

quarry sites between modern Cairo and Aswān. Th ese boats

had to be tugged upst rea m or dow nst rea m by up to 30 sma l ler

vessels.

Once Egypt fell under foreign rule, fi rst by the Persians

and then by the Greeks, Egyptian methods of seagoing ves-

sel construction shift ed to those of the greater Mediterranean

region. However, river craft design remained essentially the

same, as recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus (ca.

484–between 430 and 420 b.c.e.).and the famous Palestrina

mosaic of Roman date.

THE MIDDLE EAST

BY EDWARD M. W. A. ROWLANDS

In the ancient world people began to designs ships specifi -

cally to carry goods on long journeys. Th ey left the eastern

Mediterranean and Persian Gulf to travel great distances.

Warship designs were constantly modifi ed to keep up to date

with any changes in naval warfare tactics. Various weapons,

such as the ram, were developed to fi ght the enemy, and boats

were continually enhanced to increase their speed and defen-

sibility.

In the second millennium b.c.e. merchant ships were

broad-beamed craft , which enabled them to have a large

cargo space. Square sails were used, and oars were utilized in

the absence of wind. Early evidence of these ships comes from

the tomb of Kenamun, a mayor of Th ebes, in Egypt (ca. 1400

b.c.e.). Ships that are thought to have come from modern-day

Syria had dense beams at the front and back ends of the ship.

At the front of the ship was a large clay amphora that was

probably used to store potable water. On the back end of the

boat were two stern oars that would have been used for steer-

ing. A wicker fence also stretched across the ship to protect

the deck cargo.

By the fi rst millennium b.c.e. merchant ships had

adapted to react to any possible enemy attack by placing iron

on the bow (front) of the ship. Th e bodies of these ships were

low in height and less rounded than their predecessors. Th e

Painted wooden model of a boat, from Meir, Middle Egypt, Twelft h Dynasty, around 1900 b.c.e. (© Th e Trustees of the British Museum)

ships and shipbuilding: The Middle East 977

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