The boats were found during excavations on the plain of Dahshur in 1894 and 1895 by French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan.[2] His original excavation report recorded six boats; however, later reports by de Morgan stated there were only five.[1] The boats fell into obscurity until two of the boats were studied in the mid-1980s.[2] As of 2022, the locations of only four of the boats are known; The Carnegie boat and the Chicago boat are in the United States, located in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, respectively. The Red boat and the White boat were on display in the Cairo Museum, but were later relocated to the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum.[1][3]
Characteristics
The boats are each about 10 metres (33 ft) long and are constructed of cedar wood.[1][4] They were once vibrantly painted, with white decks and either green or yellow hulls.[1]
Construction techniques
All four of the boats currently exhibit dovetail joints between planks.[1] Dovetail joints are commonly seen in ancient Egyptian furniture, and other wooden objects, such as coffins, but have rarely been observed on watercraft.[1] More commonly, Egyptian boats used a system of rope lashings and mortise and tenon joints, which helped to keep the hull planks from separating under stress.[1] The only places this is visible on the Dahshur boats, are the bow, stern, and the uppermost strake.[1] Dovetail joints were also present on sledges found near the boats.[1] A theory has been proposed stating the dovetail joints found on the boats are instead simply lashing cuts that were modified after the boats excavation.[1][5] However, in 2006, excavations at the 12th Dynasty port of Wadi Gawasis claim to have uncovered boat timbers that employed dovetail joints in the same way as the Dahshur boats.[1][6]
Function
The boats are thought to have been used to carry the body of the Senusret III down the Nile, and were then transported over land to his Pyramid by sledges.[1][5] These sledges were found buried next to the boats during de Morgan's excavations.[1]
Carnegie boat
The Carnegie boat was donated to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1901 by Andrew Carnegie. When he purchased the boat he did not tell the Museum Director, W.J. Holland. When the boat arrived, Holland told The Pittsburgh Times he “had not been in correspondence with anyone regarding such a relic.”[7] It is on display in the Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt.[8]
The Red boat and White boat were both given their names by de Morgan. However, they are officially known only by their General Catalogue numbers: GC 4926 for the Red boat and GC 4925 for the White boat.[1] The boats were displayed in the Cairo Museum from 1910 to 2020, when they were relocated to the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum.[3][10] During their move to the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, the two boats were transported using a stainless steel chassis for easy movement and lifting.[10]
Possible fifth boat
The fate of the possible fifth boat described by de Morgan is unknown. It has been theorized that it was exported to a museum in Europe, or left in Dahshur. It may also have been destroyed by fire, with evidence of fire damage found on one of the other boats.[1]
^ ab"introduction to Nautical Archaeology Notes - The Royal Ship of Khufu". nautarch.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
^"4,000-year-old shipyard unearthed in Egypt". NBC News. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
^"Did you know that in addition to needing a larger museum..." Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
^"Funerary boat". Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
^"4,000-Year-Old Funeral Boat Gently Moved into Elaborate Museum Tomb Scene". Associated Press.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ ab"Sharm El-Sheikh Museum Receives Artifacts ahead of Opening - Sada El balad". 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Senusret III solar ships.
A Further Investigation of The Cairo Dahshur Boats
August 18, 2023
dahshur, boats, group, ancient, egyptian, funeral, boats, originally, numbering, five, discovered, near, funerary, complex, 12th, dynasty, pharaoh, senusret, boats, during, excavationstypefuneral, boatsmaterialcedar, woodlong10, metres, width2, metres, created. The Dahshur boats are a group of ancient Egyptian funeral boats originally numbering five or six discovered near the funerary complex of the 12th Dynasty pharaoh Senusret III 1 Dahshur boatsOne of the boats during excavationsTypeFuneral boatsMaterialCedar woodLong10 metres 33 ft Width2 3 metres 7 5 ft Createdc 1870 1831 BCDiscoveredDahshurDiscovered byJacques de MorganCultureAncient Egypt Contents 1 Excavation 2 Characteristics 2 1 Construction techniques 2 2 Function 3 Carnegie boat 4 Chicago boat 5 Red boat and White boat 6 Possible fifth boat 7 Images of the boats 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksExcavation EditThe boats were found during excavations on the plain of Dahshur in 1894 and 1895 by French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan 2 His original excavation report recorded six boats however later reports by de Morgan stated there were only five 1 The boats fell into obscurity until two of the boats were studied in the mid 1980s 2 As of 2022 the locations of only four of the boats are known The Carnegie boat and the Chicago boat are in the United States located in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago respectively The Red boat and the White boat were on display in the Cairo Museum but were later relocated to the Sharm El Sheikh Museum 1 3 Characteristics Edit A drawing of one of the boats made by Jacques de MorganThe boats are each about 10 metres 33 ft long and are constructed of cedar wood 1 4 They were once vibrantly painted with white decks and either green or yellow hulls 1 Construction techniques Edit All four of the boats currently exhibit dovetail joints between planks 1 Dovetail joints are commonly seen in ancient Egyptian furniture and other wooden objects such as coffins but have rarely been observed on watercraft 1 More commonly Egyptian boats used a system of rope lashings and mortise and tenon joints which helped to keep the hull planks from separating under stress 1 The only places this is visible on the Dahshur boats are the bow stern and the uppermost strake 1 Dovetail joints were also present on sledges found near the boats 1 A theory has been proposed stating the dovetail joints found on the boats are instead simply lashing cuts that were modified after the boats excavation 1 5 However in 2006 excavations at the 12th Dynasty port of Wadi Gawasis claim to have uncovered boat timbers that employed dovetail joints in the same way as the Dahshur boats 1 6 Function Edit A drawing of one of the sledges made by Jacques de Morgan showing a dovetail jointThe boats are thought to have been used to carry the body of the Senusret III down the Nile and were then transported over land to his Pyramid by sledges 1 5 These sledges were found buried next to the boats during de Morgan s excavations 1 Carnegie boat EditThe Carnegie boat was donated to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1901 by Andrew Carnegie When he purchased the boat he did not tell the Museum Director W J Holland When the boat arrived Holland told The Pittsburgh Times he had not been in correspondence with anyone regarding such a relic 7 It is on display in the Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt 8 Chicago boat EditThe Chicago boat was acquired by the Field Museum of Natural History in 1900 and has been on display in the museum since then 4 9 Red boat and White boat EditThe Red boat and White boat were both given their names by de Morgan However they are officially known only by their General Catalogue numbers GC 4926 for the Red boat and GC 4925 for the White boat 1 The boats were displayed in the Cairo Museum from 1910 to 2020 when they were relocated to the Sharm El Sheikh Museum 3 10 During their move to the Sharm El Sheikh Museum the two boats were transported using a stainless steel chassis for easy movement and lifting 10 Possible fifth boat EditThe fate of the possible fifth boat described by de Morgan is unknown It has been theorized that it was exported to a museum in Europe or left in Dahshur It may also have been destroyed by fire with evidence of fire damage found on one of the other boats 1 Images of the boats Edit The Chicago boat Close up of the Chicago boat showing an oar The Red boat The White boatSee also EditAbydos boats Ancient Egyptian technology Khufu shipReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p THE CAIRO DAHSHUR BOATS PDF Archived PDF from the original on 2021 05 07 a b The Cairo Dahshur Boats a Digital Exhibit cairodahshur imrd org Retrieved 2021 12 29 a b Sharm El Sheikh Museum receives King Senusret III boats from Egyptian Museum in Tahrir EgyptToday 2020 06 02 Retrieved 2021 12 29 a b FMNH 31760 nosub 2 Anthropological Collections collections anthropology fieldmuseum org Retrieved 2021 12 30 a b introduction to Nautical Archaeology Notes The Royal Ship of Khufu nautarch tamu edu Retrieved 2022 01 01 4 000 year old shipyard unearthed in Egypt NBC News 7 March 2006 Retrieved 2022 01 29 Did you know that in addition to needing a larger museum Carnegie Museum of Natural History 2018 01 11 Retrieved 2021 12 30 Funerary boat Carnegie Museum of Natural History 2017 05 11 Retrieved 2021 12 30 4 000 Year Old Funeral Boat Gently Moved into Elaborate Museum Tomb Scene Associated Press a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Sharm El Sheikh Museum Receives Artifacts ahead of Opening Sada El balad 2020 06 02 Retrieved 2022 01 01 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Senusret III solar ships A Further Investigation of The Cairo Dahshur Boats Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dahshur boats amp oldid 1168344559, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,