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Egyptian Artifacts

Wooden Boat Models

I absolutely love the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ models. I could literally spend hours just looking at them!

Wooden Boat Models at the Louvre (featuring Nonno’s reflection)

Wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 models were very popular in the Middle Kingdom and were usually put in tombs π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰. The boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ were symbolic, and were meant to help the deceased on their journey in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. When a person died, their body was carried in a boat 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šž across the Nile π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί in a symbolic representation of the journey of the soul π“‚“- from the land of the living to the land of the dead 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. This directly mirrors Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 daily journey across the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯.

Tombs usually contained two 𓏻 boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦: one sailing in a northward direction, and one sailing in a southward direction.

So many wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 model boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ have been found because boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ were essential to daily Egyptian life along the Nile River π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί. Boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ were not only essential for transporting people, goods and construction materials, but also for the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and their journeys as well.

This particular boat 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šž is so beautiful π“„€ because so many of the oarsmen are there! I also love this picture because my Nonno took it – you can even see his reflection in the glass πŸ’™.