National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Photo: World's Oldest Sea Vessels Discovered in Egypt


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Cargo boxes from the reign of Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhat III—who ruled from 1860 to 1814 B.C.—partly covered this ship plank excavated at the ancient port of Wadi Gawasis.

Cheryl Ward, an archaeologist at Florida State University, was a member of the team, which revealed parts of the oldest seafaring ships ever discovered. The team was led by Kathryn Bard of Boston University and Rodolfo Fattovich of the University of Naples.

Photograph courtesy Cheryl Ward/University of Naples "L'Orientale"/Boston University Wadi Gawasis Project