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The solar Barque of Cheops
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In 1954, yet another sensational find was made in the
necropolis area of Giza, already far from lacking in
major discoveries.
While work was in progress directly in front of the side
of the pyramid of Cheops, the Egyptian antiquities
service came upon two boat pits which still had their
original contents. When the eastern pit (L. 101 ½ ft.,
31m) was opened, a boat dismantled into 1224 separate
parts came to light. The second boat still lies in its
pit, but photographic probe in 1987 confirmed its
existence.
The excellent state of the preservation of the Lebanese
cedar wood after more than 4500 years is due to the
plaster mortar, which hermetically sealed the joints
between the 41 huge limestone blocks covering the pit,
each of them weighing some 20 tones, and prevented damp
and injurious insects from endangering the timber.
Recovering the parts of the boat and then reconstructing
it represented a great challenge, and it was over 20
years before the work came to a successful conclusion.
Today the great Barque of Cheops can be seen in a museum
specially built for it over the place where it was
found. The elegantly curving vessel is 141 ft (43 m)
long, and the finals at blow and stern are shaped like
lotus flowers. The planks of which the boats is made
have been lashed together with strong ropes, using
especial technique, so that no nails or other metal pins
had to be used. Brief written indications of their order
of arrangement were were found inside the planks.
The huge planks making up the keel (L. 75 ½ ft, 23m)
alone weigh over 4 tones. Twelve great oars with
lance-shaped blades were also found. The longest of them
intended for use as a rudder. The cabin, measuring 7 ft
x 29 ½ ft (2.50x 9 m), was situated under a canopy of
delicate tent pole columns, and was in two parts.
There was an open tent in the prow for the captain of
the boat. The Cheops-ships are the largest ever found,
but the religious concept behind them was in place at
the latest by the first dynasty (ca. 2900 B.C.)
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