An ancient Egypt-to-Black Sea route? Adventurers to test theory

Were the ancient Egyptians able to use reed boats to travel as far as the Black Sea thousands of years ago?

A group of adventurers believe so, and will try to prove their theory by embarking on a similar journey in reverse.

In mid-August the team of two dozen researchers and volunteers from eight countries will set off from the Bulgarian port of Varna, hoping their Abora IV reed boat will take them the 700 nautical miles through the Bosphorus, the Aegean and as far as the island of Crete.

Member of the crew assembles the 14-meter long sailing reed boat Abora IV. AFP

The ancient Greek historian wrote: "Egyptians sailed through the Black Sea to get materials that they could not have from the east Mediterranean."

Goerlitz, 53, and his team say they drew inspiration for the design of the 14-metre (46-foot) boat from ancient rock drawings from upper Egypt and the Caucasus.

Bolivian know-how

The construction was carried out with the help of volunteers and two members of the Aymara indigenous community from Bolivia's Lake Titicaca, Fermin Limachi and his son Yuri.

Goerlitz, say they drew inspiration for the design from ancient rock drawings from upper Egypt and the Caucasus. AFP

It is no accident that the Abora IV bears a striking resemblance to the famous Ra II reed boat that Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl used in his 1970 attempt to cross the Atlantic —Limachi's father helped build that vessel too.

"The main question of all is whether this boat... is able to cross the difficult island shelfs of the Aegean Sea," Goerlitz said.

Reaching the Cyclades islands and then Crete will be crucial for proving his initial hypothesis, he added, as the Minoan civilisation which flourished there from 2,700 to 1,200 BC was long proven to have traded with Egypt.

A crew member lifts the German flag on the 14-meter long sailing reed boat Abora IV. AFP

Thanks to the billions of air chambers inside its porous construction material, the boat cannot crack or sink, according to Goerlitz.

Dangers on the high seas

During his last such expedition, the Abora III in 2007, he set out from New York bound for southern Spain in a bid to prove that Stone Age man made similar trans-Atlantic journeys.

Members of the crew assemble the 14-meter long sailing reed boat Abora IV. AFP

Goerlitz's team sailed for 56 days before a storm ripped apart his boat 900 kilometres (560 miles) short of Portugal's Azores Islands.

In order to communicate with large cargo vessels on their way — a major danger on the high seas — Goerlitz's crew will have modern satellite and radio communication equipment on board.

"Of course, it would be totally arrogant and stupid (not to use modern equipment). It is an experiment of science and not of risk," he said.

Agence France-Presse