Lezing: Dorian Vanhulle (niet-leden)

A story of ropes and wood: the birth of navigation in Egypt

Dorian Vanhulle (Directeur-conservateur Musée du Malgré-Tout, Treignes, België)

The Nile has long dominated discussions about Egypt’s trade and communication networks. As a navigable waterway it links the country together internally, and connects it with the Mediterranean and southern countries. The river was both a natural and a strategic route.

Although the first conclusive evidence of Egyptian seafaring only appeared during the Old Kingdom, the Pre- and Early Dynastic periods are less sparse in terms of information than some might think. Many types of evidence such as scale models, iconographic depictions and real boats from elite burials, bear witness to the development of naval technology in Egypt during the 4th millennium BC. They also attest to the gradual inclusion of boats in the ideological, political and religious discourses of the time.

This presentation offers an overview of the birth of navigation in Egypt in the context of the formation of the Egyptian state, and a fresh perspective on the questions it raises in the light of our current knowledge.

Afbeelding: Yann Tristant