Bronze Age-styled ship that was in use 4,000 years ago sets sail

Experts have reconstructed a Bronze Age ship and set it off to sail. They rebuilt the boat with the help of writings on ancient clay tablets.

The replica ship was made of reeds and it set off for its maiden journey off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

A team of 20 specialists assembled the vessel. They used techniques similar to those of 2100 BC. This was a time when the Persian Gulf was part of global maritime trade. The ship moved at a speed of 5.6 knots.

Largest Bronze Age Magan boat reconstruction highlights ancient trade routes

Called a Magan boat , the vessel spans around 59 feet in length. In those days Magan boats were robust enough to make sure that goods like copper, textiles, and semiprecious stones were exchanged with ease.

The exchange would mostly take place around 4000 years ago between societies that lived in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, currently, they fall in the regions of Iraq, Pakistan, and India. As of now, archaeologists, engineers, and scientists believe that ancient shipbuilding can help build a seaworthy vessel. The team believes that this is the world’s largest reconstruction of a Bronze Magan boat.

Archaeologists took this initiative mainly to showcase the kind of lifestyle the people led 4000 years ago. They also aimed to preserve the UAE’s maritime heritage. The design of the vessel was relying on ancient models. It included a naval engineer measuring out the appropriate length, width, and depth for the boat. This was to ensure it would be afloat with the crew and cargo on board.

“We designed the ship using a combination of textual, iconographic and archaeological evidence from the region,” Peter Magee, director of Zayed National Museum told Newsweek .

“This includes an ancient clay tablet from Iraq listing a large quantity of materials, likely used as a shopping list for an active shipyard building. The shape of the vessel is based on ancient clay models found in Iraq” he added.

Reconstructed Bronze Age boat made using ancient techniques

Experts who were hands-on with historical replicas had built the boat using hand tools. They didn’t rely too much on modern techniques. They made the outer hull of the ship using 15 tons of reeds which were locally sourced. Then they coated animal fats on wood frames and nailed the waterproofing technique.

They also tested the strength of the ropes and reed bundles to test how heavy the hull could get. The results were satisfying. The makers of the vessel revealed that they were very careful that the vessel consisted of reeds, ropes and wood only. Any presence of nails, screws and metals could just damage the ship.

This seems like the journey of a lifetime and the researchers don’t deny it. The ship has already completed its sea trials and maiden journey. It will be kept for display at the Zayed National Museum. It’s the national museum of UAE which is being constructed on the Saadiyat Island.

The museum will display this rarity along with insights from the Persian Gulf’s maritime history and all the cultural happenings during that time.