Praise of the Two Lands (ship)
Encyclopedia
"Praise of the Two Lands", appearing in an inscription (c. 2613 BCE) of boat building projects of Egyptian
pharaoh Sneferu
, is the first reference to a ship
bearing a name.
The large Egyptian vessel, built by the pharaoh
Sneferu, was about 100 cubit
s (just over 50 m) long and made of cedar wood. Ancient Egypt was treeless, generally speaking, and domestic wood was very rare. The earliest boats on the Nile
were assembled of bundled reed
s lashed together, the two sḥn ("armloads") of the Pyramid Texts
. The earliest written record of international trade of timber is from the Palermo Stone
where Sneferu imports cedar from Phoenicia (now Lebanon), Bringing forth ships filled [with] cedar logs. Shipbuilding [of] cedar wood, one ship, 100 cubits [long]...
During ancient times, "name devices" for ships typically were of gods/goddesses of the city in which it came from or the name of the guardian deity. Typically called a parasemon or episemon, it was the ship's name and often indicated the hope for good luck at sea.
Many times an ancient Egyptian ship was named after the pharaoh and one of his virtues. For example, the ship of Amenhotep II
, who reigned 1427 BCE to 1400 BCE, was called, Amenhotep II who made strong the Two Lands. This ship was built some 1200 years after Sneferu's, Praise of the Two Lands, which is the earliest known ship name. The "Two Lands" referred to here are Upper (southern) Egypt
upriver and Lower (northern) Egypt
at the delta
entering the Mediterranean Sea, and was a place name. The name of Sneferu's ship Praise of the Two Lands had political implications. The name is believed to have signified the unity between the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt
.
In Sneferu's time of ancient Egypt it is not known if the name of the ship (i.e. Praise of the Two Lands) was put on its side as is done today so others could see the letters. It is likely that a bold mark was used instead since there were no telescope
s that could be used from shore or another ship. The special mark would be the means of identification.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
pharaoh Sneferu
Sneferu
Sneferu, also spelled as Snephru, Snefru or Snofru , was the founder of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt. Estimates of his reign vary, with for instance The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt suggesting a reign from around 2613 BC to 2589 BC, a reign of 24 years, while Rolf Krauss suggests a 30-year reign...
, is the first reference to a ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
bearing a name.
Description
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Sneferu, was about 100 cubit
Cubit
The cubit is a traditional unit of length, based on the length of the forearm. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in Antiquity, in the Middle Ages and into Early Modern Times....
s (just over 50 m) long and made of cedar wood. Ancient Egypt was treeless, generally speaking, and domestic wood was very rare. The earliest boats on the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
were assembled of bundled reed
Reed (plant)
Reed is a generic polyphyletic botanical term used to describe numerous tall, grass-like plants of wet places, which are the namesake vegetation of reed beds...
s lashed together, the two sḥn ("armloads") of the Pyramid Texts
Pyramid Texts
The Pyramid Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts from the time of the Old Kingdom. The pyramid texts are possibly the oldest known religious texts in the world. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved on the walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids at Saqqara during...
. The earliest written record of international trade of timber is from the Palermo Stone
Palermo stone
The Palermo Stone is a large fragment of a stele known as the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. It contains records of the kings of Egypt from the first dynasty through the fifth dynasty....
where Sneferu imports cedar from Phoenicia (now Lebanon), Bringing forth ships filled [with] cedar logs. Shipbuilding [of] cedar wood, one ship, 100 cubits [long]...
During ancient times, "name devices" for ships typically were of gods/goddesses of the city in which it came from or the name of the guardian deity. Typically called a parasemon or episemon, it was the ship's name and often indicated the hope for good luck at sea.
Many times an ancient Egyptian ship was named after the pharaoh and one of his virtues. For example, the ship of Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II was the seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities...
, who reigned 1427 BCE to 1400 BCE, was called, Amenhotep II who made strong the Two Lands. This ship was built some 1200 years after Sneferu's, Praise of the Two Lands, which is the earliest known ship name. The "Two Lands" referred to here are Upper (southern) Egypt
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
upriver and Lower (northern) Egypt
Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the fertile Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
at the delta
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta is the delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich...
entering the Mediterranean Sea, and was a place name. The name of Sneferu's ship Praise of the Two Lands had political implications. The name is believed to have signified the unity between the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt
Upper and Lower Egypt
Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions, namely Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. To the north was Lower Egypt where the Nile stretched out with its several branches to form the Nile Delta. To the south was Upper Egypt, stretching to Syene. The two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united c....
.
In Sneferu's time of ancient Egypt it is not known if the name of the ship (i.e. Praise of the Two Lands) was put on its side as is done today so others could see the letters. It is likely that a bold mark was used instead since there were no telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s that could be used from shore or another ship. The special mark would be the means of identification.
Sources
- Anzovin, Steven et al., Famous First Facts (International Edition), H. W. Wilson Company, 2000, ISBN 0-8242-0958-3
- Casson, Lionel, Ships and seamanship in the ancient world, JHU Press, 1995, ISBN 0-8018513-0-0
- Kennedy, Don H. et al., Ship names: origins and usages during 45 centuries, published for Mariners Museum by University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1974, ISBN 0-8139053-1-1
- Meyers, Eric M., Wood, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East, New York, Oxford University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-1951121-8-0
- Spectre, Peter H., A Mariner's Miscellany, Sheridan House, Inc., 2005, ISBN 1-5740919-5-6
- Sperber, Daniel, Nautica Talmudica, Brill Archive, 1986, ISBN 9-0040824-9-2
- Williams, Robert H., Joyful Trek, Texas Tech University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8967235-6-9
Further reading
- Clary, James, Superstitions of the Sea: A Digest of Beliefs, Custom and Mystery, Maritime History in Art, 1994, ISBN 0-9166370-0-X