Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality And 21st Century Archaeology

While the contributions of the ancient Egyptians to Western Civilization are familiar to the general public, this brilliant culture's seafaring technology is little known. Recent investigations have revealed that a sophisticated and efficient shipbuilding industry thrived in Pharaonic Egypt. River and seafaring vessels were locally and regionally built that facilitated commerce and transportation along the Nile and beyond. This episode examines how terrestrial and maritime archaeology enables researchers to reconstruct the ancient technology of Egyptian shipbuilding. Maritime archaeologist Cheryl Ward (Coastal Carolina University) and Egyptologist Kathryn Bard (Boston University) together with a team of experts have successfully reproduced and sea-tested an ancient Egyptian vessel on the Red Sea. They discuss the implications of their findings, which expand the reach of Egyptian civilization in the Mediterranean Basin and elsewhere.