Anthropology (Nautical Archaeology)

The following pages are a Master’s thesis titled, Pharaohs’ Harbors: Early Pharaonic Ports on the Red Sea Coast. The thesis examines the three main pharaonic harbors along the Red Sea – Wadi el-Jarf, Ayn Soukhna, and Mersa Gawasis – and the characteristics that define these harbor structures. The major components of the thesis include an overview of the three sites chronologically; comparative analysis of the major features of the galleries as well as the materials found throughout the sites (e.g., ceramics, organic materials); a comparison of the local structures with the workers’ villages at Giza; a discussion focusing on the possibility of Wadi el-Jarf and Ayn Soukhna as departure points for Punt; and concluding remarks on what defines an Egyptian harbor.
This thesis was written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a MA in the Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Studies program at New York University in 2014. The author acknowledges that recent developments and discoveries at the respective sites have since occurred since the thesis’ completion that may have addressed inquiries/statements presented by the author.


Keywords: Egypt, archaeology, ports, harbors, galleries, Red Sea, Wadi-el Jarf, Ayn Soukhna, Mersa Gawasis, Punt, Giza

This personal project was undertaken for the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) Part II certification. The project was undertaken during a field school in Traverse City, Michigan, under the guidance of Dr. Mark Holley at Northwestern Michigan College. The shipwreck is located in Northport, Michigan.

Due to the nature of the degradation that occurs to water-logged cultural heritage materials, it is an essential responsibility of archaeologists to take the appropriate conservation measures to stabilize and preserve artifacts for future generations to study. Excavation without a fully realized plan for conservation is tantamount to historical vandalism. This paper is divided into three main parts. First is an overview of the natural processes of degradation that occurs to cultural heritage material that is left underwater. Different materials degrade at different rates, and often similar materials can behave very differently with only slight changes to the environment in which they exist, and this must be accounted for when intervening in the natural equilibrium the site has reached. The second part of this paper is a summary of several of the treatment options available for a variety of materials, including ceramics and glass, organic material like waterlogged archaeological wood, leather, and bone, as well as encrusted iron artifacts, encrusted natural molds, and other metals like copper and lead. Along with the types of treatments possible, this section also addresses the necessary equipment for each treatment, associated time requirements, the necessary expertise of personnel, and the associated costs of chemicals and other materials. The third part of this paper is dedicated to the discussion of the ethical problems commonly encountered by archaeological conservation laboratories, with a specific focus on the problems associated with using academic or government conservation facilities to conserve cultural heritage materials acquired by looters, vandals, thieves, and treasure hunters.

In April of 2015, researchers from Texas A&M joined a team of Texas Parks and Wildlife archaeologists to use portable X-ray fluorescence to analyze the pigments used in rock art in the Big Bend Ranch State Park in southwest Texas. The resulting data showed that through time, consistent materials were used to create the red, yellow, orange, and white pigments, but there were two different materials used to create the black pigments. Drawing on previous studies that attempted to use stylistic differences to classify the rock art found in the park, this paper shows a consistent correlation between the use of a manganese-based black pigment and the artistic style known as ‘Big Bend Bold’. If these results are indeed correlated, the presence of manganese black in the rock art found in this park may indicate that the art is post-European contact.

Cattle in ancient Egypt were a measure of wealth and prestige, and as such figured prominently in tomb art, inscriptions, and even literature.  Elite titles and roles such as “Overseer of Cattle” were granted to high ranking officials or nobility during the New Kingdom, and large numbers of cattle were collected as tribute throughout the Pharaonic period.  The movement of these animals along the Nile, whether for secular or sacred reasons, required the development of specialized vessels.  The cattle ferries of ancient Egypt provide a unique opportunity to understand facets of the Egyptian maritime community.
A comparison of cattle barges with other Egyptian ship types from these same periods leads to a better understand how these vessels fit into the larger maritime paradigm, and also serves to test the plausibility of aspects such as vessel size and design, composition of crew, and lading strategies.  Examples of cargo vessels similar to the cattle barge have been found and excavated, such as ships from Thonis-Heracleion, Ayn Sukhna, Alexandria, and Mersa/Wadi Gawasis.  This type of cross analysis allows for the tentative reconstruction of a vessel type which has not been identified previously in the archaeological record.
Elements of hull construction have been identified primarily in tomb art and tribute lists,but are supported by the remains from other types of working vessels recovered from archaeological excavations.  Unique to some examples of this type of vessel are the deck structures used to contain cattle during transport.  Proposals for the configuration and specifications of these deck pens also are developed in this thesis.
Cattle boats of the Pharaonic period frequently appear in the reliefs of elite tombs during the Middle and New Kingdom.  This vessel’s associations with elite status and wealth, despite the fact that it was a working vessel, provide a unique window through which we can gain new insight on the powerful and long-lived Egyptian civilization.

With the launch of Phoenix I in 1815, Captain
Jahaziel Sherman brought a new era of steam
navigation to Lake Champlain. A man gifted with
practical skills as a mariner, business acumen and
connections, and relentless drive, for the next two
decades he ensured that the full potential of the
latest steamboat technology was achieved and
that the traveling public was adequately served
by fast, reliable, commodious vessels.