Boat building must have been a flourishing trade, and have employed the
energies of a large number of persons. Besides their war vessels of galleys,
which were rather large boats than ships, the Egyptians made use of a
great variety of craft, adapted for peaceful purposes, and differing according
to the exact service for which they were wanted. A sort of light canoe, formed
(we are told) of the papyrus plant, and propelled either by a single paddle or a
punting pole, furnished the ordinary means of transport from one side of the
Nile to the other, and was also used by fishermen in their occupation, and by
herdsmen, when it was necessary to save cattle from an excessive inundation. The
stem and stern of these vessels rose considerably above the waters; they must
have been flat bottomed and broad, like punts, or they could have possessed no
stability. They are probably the "vessels of bulrushes ", spoken of by Isaiah,
which were common to the Egyptian with the Ethiopians.
But the ordinary Nile boat of Pharoanic times was built of wood.
Plancks of Acanta or Mimosa nilotica were cut with the hatchet, a yard or two in
length, and arranged in rows one above another, very much as builders arrange
their bricks. These plancks were probably united together by glue or by wooden
bolts or nails, in the same way as articles of furniture; but they were
sometimes further secured by means of a number of short poles or stakes, placed
internally at right angles to the planks, and lashed to them by means of a cord
or string. On a boat of this kind a sort of house of lattice-work was sometimes
raised, and cattle were embarked upon it and conveyed from place to place.
Occasionally the house was of a more solid character, being formed of boards
which were continuous and only pierced by a few windows. Some boats of this
construction had a mast and sail; others were without these conveniences, and
depended entirely upon the rowers. These varied in number from twelve to
forty-four; their oars were of rude construction, and they appear sometimes to
have rowed standing. Steering was managed by a rudder, worked through a notch in
the centre of the stern, or by two or more steering-oars on either side, each
entrusted to a seperate steersman. The only sail used was a square
sail and the rigging was of the most simple character. Sails were often colored,
and sometimes patterned, or embroidered with quaint devices.
History of ancient Egypt, Volume 1 , 1886
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Why do I quote Rawlinson on ancient Egyptian boat building ?
This quote will hopefully serve in a future post on the crossing of the sea to America by the Mormon Lehi and his family. Somehow Joseph Smith claims that Nephi, the son of Lehi, was led by a divine architect to build a boat unlike anything that was being built at the time. Lehi was living in about 600 BC which is during the time when Nebuchadnezzar was conquering the Phoenicians and was holding Zedekiah and Jehoiachin, the kings of Judah, captive in Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar was also preventing Egypt and Syria from conquering more land in the Mesopotamian area. Nebuchadnezzar was empowering the New Babylonians or Chaldeans and through their military and political persuasion they forced the largest Jewish exile since the time of Moses who led the early monotheistic converts out of Egypt in the age of Ramesses II in circa 1250 BC.
Smith, the Mormon founder, claims Lehi, Nephi, Laman were divinely led to the Americas in circa 600 BC. All of this was written on gold plates which were transcribed by Joseph Smith supposedly.
