Ancient barque to be reconstructed for museum

Sail World ^ | February 25, 2012 | Renate Johns

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

A Japanese University has provided a $10million grant to help see the reconstruction of one of the oldest known boats in the world, and the process has begun this week in Egypt, near the Giza Pyramid.

With the help of the grant from Waseda University archaeologists on Monday began restoration on the 4,500-year-old almost 140ft (43 metre) so-called 'solar barque', which has shown signs of being used during the life of its owner Khufu(King Cheops) but was apparently also meant to carry him into the afterlife.

Its 'sister' boat has already been restored and is housed in a specially built museum at the Giza pyramid complex since 1982. Its discovery was described as one of the greatest Ancient Egyptian discoveries in Zahi Hawass's documentary 'Egypt's Ten Greatest Discoveries'.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Here’s some bytes about an ancient solar barque

[Mr Ramsbotham]

The barque was worse than the bytes.

[bunkerhill7]

Obummer gives $10 million to Build Solar-Powered Boat, the `Barak-Barque`

[SunkenCiv]

Oar maybe not.

[Rudder]

Egypt Model of Khufu’s graceful solar barque:

[Noob1999]

..........................Its ‘sister’ boat has already been restored and is housed in a specially built museum at the Giza pyramid complex since 1982..........................

If the sister ship has already been restored since 1982, why in hell waste $10 million to recreate another one???

Races on the Nile???

[lonevoice]

[SunkenCiv]

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Thanks Hegemony Cricket. The original find was made in the 1950s, and the boat was essentially intact (considering it was 4500 years old). A second probable burial site was immediately looked for and found, but left as-is, while the first one was carefully moved to the museum. I didn't read this article yet, but I'd guess that the Japanese money is for restoration of the older one, basically some overdue conservation work. Despite the fact that the second boat was considered probable, the a-holes (including those on Zahi "Zowie" Hawass' watch) ran heavy equipment over the site, and basically whatever shape it had been in, it wasn't anymore when the first hole was drilled to do some minimally invasive look-see back in the 1990s. Wait, it sez 1982? Maybe that was when the first boat was re-restored. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.