Egyptians even sailed to Lebanon to gather cedar for building their ships. The resin in this wood was thought to prevent damage, but it obviously didn't work very well. |
Egyptians obviously went to sea frequently during this time, despite the fact that it was a huge undertaking. It required several thousand people trekking supplies across the desert. |
Older water crafts, like dug-out canoes, have been found throughout the world, but these are the oldest sea-going ships. More significantly, the next oldest [ships ever discovered] in Egypt are 700 years younger. |
The scale of the organization astounds me. They had men carry kits with pieces 10 feet long and 8 to 12 inches thick across the desert to reassemble into ships on the edge of a sea that is still difficult to sail today. To have the manpower and supply line to equip the shipyard there and sail five or so ships on the Red Sea, and to have the knowledge to use the currents and winds to return safely, would be tough today, and they achieved it without GPS, cell phones or computers, not to mention the combustion engine. |
They look like river ships, but scaled up. |
You know how some people just need the latest cell-phone technology? If you could say, I just got this from Punt, you were at the top of the heap. |