Ancient Egypt: River Boats

Fishing Boats, Transportation Barges and Pleasure Boats. While some Egyptians thought fish to be unclean, dried fish were nevertheless a staple food for most of the population. Reed rafts served for fishing. Nets and weir baskets were made from willow branches. The Nile didn't just feed the Egyptians, it was both an obstacle and the main highway. Too wide to be bridged, there must have been a great many ferryboats carrying people and wares from one shore to the other. If you wanted to go anywhere, going by river would generally have been a good choice. We tend to forget that, until the invention of the steam engine, travelling by ship was generally faster and cheaper than any other kind of locomotion