The Earliest Sailboats in Egypt and Their Influence on the Development of Trade, Seafaring in the Red Sea, and State Development

Abstract

Based on iconography and trade patterns, Egyptians first outfitted their vessels with sails during the beginning of the Naqada IIc period. As a result, the Nile became such an important trade network that settlements moved from the desert fringes to the Nile floodplain. Furthermore, sailboats were the primary catalyst for the spread of Naqada culture into Lower Egypt and an intensification of relations with Lower Nubia. Eventually, ships sailing to Punt on the Red Sea led to the extinction of the Late A-Group culture.