Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians Volume 3; Including Their Private Life, Government, Laws, Arts, Manufacturers, Religion and Early History Derived from a Comparison of the Painting, Sculptures and Monuments Still Existing with the Accounts O (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1837 Excerpt: ...boatmen of the Nile. That the ancient Egyptian boats were built with ribs, like those of the present day, is sufficiently proved by the rude models discovered in the tombs of Thebes. It is probable that they had very little keel, in order to enable them to avoid the sandbanks, and to facilitate their removal from them when they struck; and indeed if we may judge from the models, they appear to have been flatbottomed. The boats now used on the Nile have a very small keel, particularly at the centre, where it is concave; so that when the head strikes, they put to the helm, and the hollow part clears the bank; except in those cases where the impetus is too great, or the first warning is neglected. The sails of the ancient boats appear to have been always square, with a yard above and below; in which they differ from those now adopted in Egypt. The only modern boats with square sails are a sort of lighter, employed for conveying stones from the quarries to Cairo and other places; and these have only a yard at the top. All other boats have latine or triangular-shaped sails, which, in order to catch the wind when the Nile is low, are made of immense size: for unless they reach above its lofty banks they are often prevented from benefiting by a side wind at that season of the year; but the number of accidents which occur are a great objection to the use of such disproportionate sails. The middree of the Arabs, the contus, or pertica, of the Humans. The cabins of the Egyptian boats were lofty and spacious; they did not, however, always extend over the whole breadth of the boat, as in the modern cangias, but nierely occupied the centre; the rowers sitting on either side, generally on a bench or stool. They were made of wood, with a door in front, or sometimes on one...