Archaeologica.org

All religions have "festivals" Ish. It's a way of wowing the crowd.

Maybe you can ask the spirits for some insight?

Ishtar wrote:

War Arrow wrote:You mean it was ornamental, for want of a better word?

Er .... no, because the only person who'd be there to appreciate its ornamental nature would be dead!



It's a ritual object, a sort of talisman. The boat was to take the mummifed pharoah to the land of the dead in the symbolic sense. Of course, it didn't really literally happen that way. But I'd have to go loads into shamanism to describe how it actually does happen - and that will piss everyone off no end, especially you!

No. No. No. Tish and pish and all that. I know exactly what you mean here, I just chose my word ('ornamental') unwisely.

Minimalist wrote:All religions have "festivals" Ish. It's a way of wowing the crowd.

Maybe you can ask the spirits for some insight?

Yeah ...OK...they just told me actually!

They said: "Tell Min, he should be nice to Ishtar."

This whole discussion is why I would love to see an analysis of the wood.
It should be able to tell us if the boat was ever in the water.
Actually in use in some way.
Or if it was just a parade float.

The only sound my spirits make is slosh....slosh.







BTW, kb, I was reading in Donald Redford's, "Egypt, Canaan and Israel in Ancient Times" that not only is there evidence for trade between Egypt and Byblos on the Canaanite coast in the Early Bronze Age but a number of pharaohs sent votive offerings to Hathor as the patron goddess of Byblos, beginning with the second dynasty. Such a high prowed ship would be necessary to deal with the waves on the Med if not on the Nile. Further, in order to carry any usable quantity of wood, the ship would have to be fairly good sized.