

It was launched off the coast of Morocco, and set sail in an attempt to cross the Atlantic. The boat was built by boatmen from Lake Chad in the Republic of Chad with papyrus reeds from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Its design was based on ancient Egyptian models and drawings. In 1969, Heyerdahl constructed a reed boat he named Ra after the ancient Egyptian sun god. Heyerdahl wanted to demonstrate that ancient Mediterranean or African people could have crossed the Atlantic and reached the Americas by sailing with the Canary Current. In more recent years, the explorations and investigations of the Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl, 1914–2002, have resulted in a better appreciation of the construction and capabilities of reed boats. Casting babies adrift in reed boats on the Nile was a common practice in that period. The bulrushes this small boat or basket was built with may have been papyrus. Īccording to the Bible, when the Pharaoh issued a decree to kill all the Israelite males, the baby Moses was saved by his mother, who set him adrift on the Nile in an ark of bulrushes. Light skiffs suitable for the navigation of the Nile were constructed with stems cut from papyrus reed, as shown by bas-reliefs from the fourth dynasty where men cut papyrus, and use it to make cordage and sails and to build a reed boat. Theophrastus in his History of Plants states that the rigging on King Antigonus' fleet, used to fasten the doors when Ulysses slew the suitors in his hall, was made from papyrus reed. Other reeds of the genus Cyperus may have been used as well. This reed was also used for many other purposes, especially for providing papyrus writing parchments. The Ancient Egyptians built boats from papyrus reeds, which were widely cultivated along the Nile River and Delta. The oldest known remnants of a boat made with reeds (and tar) are from a 7000-year-old seagoing boat found in Failaka Island, Kuwait. The Ancient Egyptian used papyrus reeds to make boats The explorations and investigations of the Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl have resulted in a better understanding of the construction and capabilities of reed boats. Reed boats are still used in Peru, Bolivia, Ethiopia, and until recently in Corfu. They were also constructed from early times in Peru and Bolivia, and boats with remarkedly similar design have been found in Easter Island. A famous example is the ark of bulrushes in which the baby Moses was set afloat. Reed boats are depicted in early petroglyphs and were common in Ancient Egypt. The earliest discovered remains from a reed boat are 7000 years old, found in Kuwait. As well as boats and rafts, small floating islands have also been constructed from reeds. Reed boats can be distinguished from reed rafts, since reed boats are usually waterproofed with some form of tar. Often used as traditional fishing boats, they are still used in a few places around the world, though they have generally been replaced with planked boats. Reed boats and rafts, along with dugout canoes and other rafts, are among the oldest known types of boats.
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Sign up today for our 30 day free trial.Totora reed fishing boats on the beach at Huanchaco, Peru Looking for reading activities for kids online? The Reading Kingdom online reading program and game is great for teaching kindergarten reading, 1st grade reading, 2nd grade reading, and 3rd grade reading. You will be using spray paint for this project, so you’ll need a grownup around.”Īre there educational activities for kids that you recommend? Let us know in the comments below. Here’s a way to make a model of a reed boat that really floats. This is because there weren’t many trees in the desert, and the trees that were there didn’t make good planks. Because the reeds were bundled together, the ends of the boat curved up. “Reed boats were made out of the reeds of a papyrus plant. Here’s what author Carmella Van Vleet has to say about this activity:
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Kids learn about ancient Egyptian homes, food, money, toys, games, makeup, clothes, kings, mummies, and more.Ĭlick here to download this great educational activity for kids: How to Make Your Own Reed Boat The book features 25 hands-on projects, activities, and experiments about pyramids, mummies, amulets, temples, and pharaohs.
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Do you have a child, or a classroom full of children excited to explore the fascinating civilization of Ancient Egypt? Then you’ll love this Reading Kingdom recommended educational activities for kids.Įxplore Ancient Egypt! 25 Projects, Activities, Experiments by Carmella Van Vleet is an activity book for young readers ages 6 – 9.
