The excavation of an ancient shipyard in Egypt has uncovered remnants of the oldest known ships in the world. This discovery demonstrates that ancient Egyptians were highly advanced in shipbuilding technology.
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| Wood fragments from the ship found at the site. (Image: Livescience) |
Four-thousand-year-old wooden pieces were discovered alongside cargo containers, anchors, ropes, and various other maritime materials in what archaeologists refer to as an ancient military management area.
This site includes six artificial caves, located at Wadi Gawasis, a remote cliff along the Red Sea near the modern port city of Safaga. According to archaeologist Cheryl Ward from the University of Florida, the age of these findings is impressive.
“Older rafts, like dugout canoes, have been found around the world, but these are the oldest ocean-going vessels. More significantly, this ancient ship is over 700 years older than Egypt’s second-oldest ship,” Ward stated.
However, equally important is what this discovery reveals about the seafaring capabilities of the ancient Egyptians.
According to Ward, it has long been believed that while ancient Egyptians often traveled along the Nile River on small boats, they lacked the technical skills for extended sea voyages. Recent evidence from Wadi Gawasis suggests they were indeed experienced seafarers, much like later civilizations in Greece and Rome.
Notably, inscriptions on the cargo containers indicate that many people came from a place known as the legendary land of Punt, the exact location of which remains unknown.
“The Egyptians clearly ventured out to sea regularly during this period, even though it was labor-intensive. It required thousands of people to transport goods across the desert,” Ward explained.
Before heading to sea, the Egyptians needed to transport materials, tools, and goods from major cities along the Nile to the coast, where the ships were then assembled. The caves, averaging 18-21 meters in width, may have been created for this purpose.
“You can compare these caves to airplane hangars. If all the planes flew away, what would be left? The components, tools, objects… just like here,” Ward noted.
The remaining wood pieces at Wadi Gawasis also indicate that when the ships returned after several months at sea, they were dismantled in the cave and the parts were checked. Old and worn pieces were discarded, while the good ones would be reused.
“The Egyptians even sailed as far as Lebanon to seek cedar wood for shipbuilding. The resin was believed to be shatter-resistant, but it seems it wasn’t very effective,” Ward remarked.
M.T.
