Wood in boatbuilding

The present paper summarises the question of the use of wood in boatbuilding in the Red Sea from classical antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Greco-Roman era and the mediaeval Islamic period. In doing so, the paper sheds the light on timber trade and exploitation processes of the past, and how these interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. The Red Sea regions are portrayed not only as wood importers from the Mediterranean, East Africa and South Asia but also as beneficiaries of local wood resources for their boatbuilding needs. Similarly, the paper stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local wood in favour of Indian timber, especially teak. Thus it suggests the need to consider other timber species that were equally suitable for boatbuilding, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers.
This study also draws on ethnographic research in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The ethnographic enquiry focused on vernacular names of timbers, timber exploitation processes and the variables involved in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry – i.e., by drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography – the paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea.

The present paper summarises the question of the use of wood in boatbuilding in the Red Sea from classical antiquity until present times. It draws on primary sources and archaeological evidence from the Greco-Roman era and the mediaeval Islamic period. In doing so, the paper sheds the light on timber trade and exploitation processes of the past, and how these interlinked with the geopolitics and socio-economics of the time. The Red Sea regions are portrayed not only as wood importers from the Mediterranean, East Africa and South Asia but also as beneficiaries of local wood resources for their boatbuilding needs. Similarly, the paper stresses that little attention has been given to the exploitation of local wood in favour of Indian timber, especially teak. Thus it suggests the need to consider other timber species that were equally suitable for boatbuilding, as well as other western Indian Ocean wood providers. This study also draws on ethnographic research in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The ethnographic enquiry focused on vernacular names of timbers, timber exploitation processes and the variables involved in the metamorphosis of a tree into a boat part. Finally, by interlinking diverse pathways of enquiry – i.e., by drawing on primary sources, archaeology and ethnography – the paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of wooden boatbuilding in the Red Sea.