Khufu Vessel I: Ships as Displays of Power and Prestige in Ancient Egypt
4/30/12
ANTH 320
Final Paper
Khufu Vessel I: Ships as Displays of Power and Prestige in Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, ships and boats were sometimes used as displays of power and prestige. The development of shipbuilding technology and tradition and the use of watercraft for ritual purposes are all testimony to this point. I believe one ancient Egyptian ship in particular, Khufu Vessel I, is the most evident example of ships being used to demonstrate power and prestige, as well as a convergent point for early Egyptian shipbuilding development and watercraft rituality.
In Egypt’s Old Kingdom, Khufu was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty from around 2609-2584 BCE. Khufu is well known for building the Great Pyramid at Giza, but not much is known about Khufu himself. The only surviving depiction of Khufu is a small figurine that was found at Abydos. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian described Khufu as “cruel and impious” (Hawass, “Khufu”). The construction of Khufu’s Great Pyramid complex may support Herodotus’ characterization due to Khufu’s apparent ability to control the immense quantity of materials and human labor resources that were needed to construct the tomb. Khufu created a reputation for himself that Egyptians would remember and talk about throughout their history. The Great Pyramid is extraordinary and world renowned, however, not many know about the equally extraordinary Khufu Vessel I, a ship that was found buried and disassembled in a pit next to the Pyramid. This ship is one of the oldest in the world; subsequently it is also the largest and most well preserved ancient boat known to archaeologists (Jenkins, 8). The Khufu vessel is one of the most important sources of information about ancient shipbuilding for archaeologists. The Khufu vessel is a prime piece of evidence of the sophisticated civilization that built it. By the time the Khufu ship was built, there had been a long tradition of shipbuilding, and therefore a
ANTH 320
Final Paper
Khufu Vessel I: Ships as Displays of Power and Prestige in Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, ships and boats were sometimes used as displays of power and prestige. The development of shipbuilding technology and tradition and the use of watercraft for ritual purposes are all testimony to this point. I believe one ancient Egyptian ship in particular, Khufu Vessel I, is the most evident example of ships being used to demonstrate power and prestige, as well as a convergent point for early Egyptian shipbuilding development and watercraft rituality.
In Egypt’s Old Kingdom, Khufu was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty from around 2609-2584 BCE. Khufu is well known for building the Great Pyramid at Giza, but not much is known about Khufu himself. The only surviving depiction of Khufu is a small figurine that was found at Abydos. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian described Khufu as “cruel and impious” (Hawass, “Khufu”). The construction of Khufu’s Great Pyramid complex may support Herodotus’ characterization due to Khufu’s apparent ability to control the immense quantity of materials and human labor resources that were needed to construct the tomb. Khufu created a reputation for himself that Egyptians would remember and talk about throughout their history. The Great Pyramid is extraordinary and world renowned, however, not many know about the equally extraordinary Khufu Vessel I, a ship that was found buried and disassembled in a pit next to the Pyramid. This ship is one of the oldest in the world; subsequently it is also the largest and most well preserved ancient boat known to archaeologists (Jenkins, 8). The Khufu vessel is one of the most important sources of information about ancient shipbuilding for archaeologists. The Khufu vessel is a prime piece of evidence of the sophisticated civilization that built it. By the time the Khufu ship was built, there had been a long tradition of shipbuilding, and therefore a