A baris ( grc, βᾶρις, cop, ⲃⲁⲁⲣⲉ ) is a type of ancient Egyptian ship, whose unique method of construction
was described by
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known for ...
, writing in about . Archeologists and historians could find no corroboration of his description until the discovery of the remains of such a ship in the waters around
Thonis-Heracleion
Heracleion (Ancient Greek: ), also known by its Egyptian name Thonis ( Ancient Egyptian: ; cop, Ⲧϩⲱⲛⲓ , ; Ancient Greek: ) and sometimes called Thonis-Heracleion, was an ancient Egyptian port city located near the Canopic Mouth o ...
in
Aboukir Bay
The Abū Qīr Bay (sometimes transliterated Abukir Bay or Aboukir Bay) (; transliterated: Khalīj Abū Qīr) is a spacious bay on the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria in Egypt, lying between the Rosetta mouth of the Nile and the town of Abu Qir. ...
in 2003.
The ship, known as Ship 17, the first of 63 ships found in Thonis-Heraclion,
measures up to 28 metres in length. It was constructed using an unusual technique to join thick wooden planks together, and had a distinctive steering mechanism with an axial rudder passing through the hull.
The
underwater archaeological work was carried out by
Franck Goddio
Franck Goddio (born 1947 in Casablanca, Morocco) is a French underwater archaeologist who, in 2000, discovered the city of Thonis-Heracleion 7 km off the Egyptian shore in Aboukir Bay. He led the excavation of the submerged site of Canop ...
and the
European Institute for Underwater Archaeology
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...
, and the findings are being published in a book by
Alexander Belov
Alexander Alexandrovich Belov, commonly known as Sasha Belov (November 9, 1951 – October 3, 1978), was a Soviet basketball player. During his playing career, he played at the center position. Belov is most remembered for scoring the game ...
for the
Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology
The Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology (OCMA) is a specialist research group within the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford in England.
Overview
Established in 2003 with the ongoing support of the Hilti Foundation, the OCMA is d ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*
Archaeology of shipwrecks
Ancient ships
Ancient Egyptian technology
Ancient Egyptian ships
Ship types
{{ship-type-stub