Pyramid Graffiti: Objects — Boats
Graffito P9. Object – Boat, Type 3
A single composition spreads across two blocks in the second course. It consists of a type 3 boat with a type of mooring represented by a long horizontal line with vertical lines extending downward.
The boldly incised boat is one of the clearest of its type. From stern to bow, the hull is filled by a zigzag. The gunwale is flat, while the bottom of the hull tapers slightly toward the stern and reaches its maximum width near the bow. Both bow and stern curve sharply upward, the stern rising taller than the bow. The upper three centimeters of the stone are damaged, removing the mast, stays, and the tip of the stern, but very worn lines at the top of the stern indicate that it was cruciform, with splayed arms as the footed cross.
The rudder is triangular and separated from the hull, planks indicated by horizontal lines. The tiller is indicated by an angled line that crosses the hull. A single line amidships indicates the mast; the yard is not supported by lines and is probably not deployed. Instead, angled lines from the mast extend to the stern and bow, a feature that was probably used to support the frameless hull.
Two large, almost square shapes before and aft of the mast indicate cabins of the type used for the floating shops (kantin) of Dongola in the last century.
- Kurru ID number: P_015
- Location: East face, south of chapel, course 2, blocks 5–6
- Dimensions (H × W): 25 × 48 cm