DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49270#0316
Ancient Egyptian Fishing
229
binding at the bow and at the stern, but are doubled over in a uhairpin” bend. This
results in a form (fig. 128) which strongly resembles that of a protodynastic clay model
found at Abydos. The model, however, has broad transverse stripes painted on its deck,
which may perhaps be intended to represent the thwarts of a wooden boat.115
Rope gunwales are often seen on the balsas as in the rafts. They are sometimes
visible along the whole length of the canoe, from stem to stern (fig. 22, 38); more often
they end, or at least disappear, at some distance from the ends of the gunwale line (fig.
23). It is obvious that these ropes aided in stiffening the balsa, but in exactly what manner
they did so cannot be determined. In many instances they were replaced by gunwales
made of long strips of wood (figs. 35, 36, 44). Such wooden strips often run nearly the
whole length from stem to stern (fig. 127), and in a few cases they quite do so (fig. 126 ;
cf. the raft, fig. 75). More commonly they run only a little fore and aft of the under-
water body of the canoe (fig. 82). From the representations there is generally nothing
to show what kept these gunwales ■— whether of rope or of wood — in place: although
it may be obvious that their ends were in some way secured inside the papyrus bundles
of which the craft was made, there is in most cases no sign of their being tied down, as
they must have been, throughout their length. This is not always the case, for in some
instances the transverse lashings are shown passed over the gunwales (fig. 36, 147 raft?),
oi' even as being passed over and under the wooden strip (fig. 44 — last two knotted
lashings on the left; fig. 147 — ends of gunwale-piece). In fig. 42 is shown the bow of a
large Middle Kingdom canoe in which the lashing is shown with some detail (cf. fig. 43,
from stern of same canoe). Despite the clearness with which the general nature of the
structure is in this case indicated, the data from which the technique could be accurately
determined are lacking. The gunwale appears to be lashed to the reeds at its end, and
at a point just below the damaged portion of the representation. These lashings are
comparable to the somewhat more elaborate ones on the ends of the gunwale strip of the
canoe seen in fig. 35. In this case the strip appears to be overlaid by another thin strip
or by a rope.
Occasionally one finds balsas — especially those on which the nobles are represented
fowling or fish spearing in the papyrus swamps, and which, therefore, we may safely regard
as of the best workmanship —-fitted with a wooden deck (fig. 35),116 Such a feature was
a very desirable one: it not only gave the occupants of the balsa a firm footing, but pro-
tected them from the water which inevitably seeps up through the bottom of all reed craft.
116 Petrie, Abydos, pt. 2, pl. 11, fig. 241.
116 Other examples: Petrie, Deshasheh, pl. 22; 24 (0. K.); Davies, Deir el Gebrawi, pt. 2, pl. 3 (O. K.). The
large balsa represented in Idem, Sheikh Said, pl. 11, where the heads and shoulders of a crew of nine (18?) boat-
men are seen beneath the floor-board and the gunwale, is to be regarded merely as an eccentric freak of the artist.
Davies, op. cit., p. 23 and n. 1, has needlessly tried to advance a rational explanation of the scene.
229
binding at the bow and at the stern, but are doubled over in a uhairpin” bend. This
results in a form (fig. 128) which strongly resembles that of a protodynastic clay model
found at Abydos. The model, however, has broad transverse stripes painted on its deck,
which may perhaps be intended to represent the thwarts of a wooden boat.115
Rope gunwales are often seen on the balsas as in the rafts. They are sometimes
visible along the whole length of the canoe, from stem to stern (fig. 22, 38); more often
they end, or at least disappear, at some distance from the ends of the gunwale line (fig.
23). It is obvious that these ropes aided in stiffening the balsa, but in exactly what manner
they did so cannot be determined. In many instances they were replaced by gunwales
made of long strips of wood (figs. 35, 36, 44). Such wooden strips often run nearly the
whole length from stem to stern (fig. 127), and in a few cases they quite do so (fig. 126 ;
cf. the raft, fig. 75). More commonly they run only a little fore and aft of the under-
water body of the canoe (fig. 82). From the representations there is generally nothing
to show what kept these gunwales ■— whether of rope or of wood — in place: although
it may be obvious that their ends were in some way secured inside the papyrus bundles
of which the craft was made, there is in most cases no sign of their being tied down, as
they must have been, throughout their length. This is not always the case, for in some
instances the transverse lashings are shown passed over the gunwales (fig. 36, 147 raft?),
oi' even as being passed over and under the wooden strip (fig. 44 — last two knotted
lashings on the left; fig. 147 — ends of gunwale-piece). In fig. 42 is shown the bow of a
large Middle Kingdom canoe in which the lashing is shown with some detail (cf. fig. 43,
from stern of same canoe). Despite the clearness with which the general nature of the
structure is in this case indicated, the data from which the technique could be accurately
determined are lacking. The gunwale appears to be lashed to the reeds at its end, and
at a point just below the damaged portion of the representation. These lashings are
comparable to the somewhat more elaborate ones on the ends of the gunwale strip of the
canoe seen in fig. 35. In this case the strip appears to be overlaid by another thin strip
or by a rope.
Occasionally one finds balsas — especially those on which the nobles are represented
fowling or fish spearing in the papyrus swamps, and which, therefore, we may safely regard
as of the best workmanship —-fitted with a wooden deck (fig. 35),116 Such a feature was
a very desirable one: it not only gave the occupants of the balsa a firm footing, but pro-
tected them from the water which inevitably seeps up through the bottom of all reed craft.
116 Petrie, Abydos, pt. 2, pl. 11, fig. 241.
116 Other examples: Petrie, Deshasheh, pl. 22; 24 (0. K.); Davies, Deir el Gebrawi, pt. 2, pl. 3 (O. K.). The
large balsa represented in Idem, Sheikh Said, pl. 11, where the heads and shoulders of a crew of nine (18?) boat-
men are seen beneath the floor-board and the gunwale, is to be regarded merely as an eccentric freak of the artist.
Davies, op. cit., p. 23 and n. 1, has needlessly tried to advance a rational explanation of the scene.