Why did Egyptians bury boats?

Part of the understood religious obligation of the noble members of Egyptian society was to make a ritual voyage to the site of Abydos, which was believed to be the tomb of the god Osiris. So important was the journey that ancient Egyptian kings were found buried with full size boats alongside their pyramids.

Why were boats buried around some of the pyramids?

Next to the pyramid there are several boat pits. Some experts believe that the boats buried in these pits represented the bark that the pharaoh would travel in after he died. Others believe that these boats were actually used in Khufu’s funeral procession across the Nile.

Who used boats in ancient Egypt?

Ferryboats transported ordinary Egyptians across the Nile River. Wealthy Egyptian pharaohs would take leisure trips on their pleasure boats. Sacred boats or funerary boats were used to carry the deceased to their final resting places. The funeral boats could be over 100 feet long and weigh as much as 45 tons.

What was the purpose of Abydos boats?

Ritual significance The Abydos boats were found in boat graves with their prows pointed towards the Nile. Experts consider them to have been the royal boats intended for the Pharaoh in the afterlife.

Why may archaeologists want to figure out the purpose of the ancient boat?

Some experts think the boats were used to transport the body of the pharaoh Khufu, who built the Great Pyramid, after his death. Others don’t think that theory holds water. They are not sure the boats ever got wet. New research on the second boat could help scientists figure out the boats’ purpose.

Why did Egyptians use sailboats?

Boats were used to carry everything from grain and cattle to coffins and building blocks. The earliest boats were moved using oars, and were made from bundles of papyrus reeds tied tightly together. By 3000 BCE, the Egyptians were using boats made of wood, with sails to move them around.

What was found at Abydos?

In 2013, an expedition led by the Penn Museum’s Josef Wegner discovered the tomb of a previously unknown pharaoh at the southern Egyptian site of Abydos. The forgotten pharaoh, Woseribre Senebkay, confirmed the existence of an Abydos Dynasty dating from ca. 1650-1600 BC. Read more about this discovery.