Page 57 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

Ancient Egyptian Rope and Knots

Fig. 1. Map of Egypt with Tell el-Amarna, Abu Sha'ar, Berenilte and Qasr Ibrim
Abu Sha'ar is also located at the Red Sea coast, 30 ltm north of the
modern town Hurghada. Abu Sha'ar was founded by the Romans as a military
installation in the 3rd century A.D. After a brief period of abandonment, part
of the fort was used from the 4th to the 7th century A.D. by an early Christian
community. These were probably heremites, living a life of contemplation in
the deserted fort. Rope and ltnots were found in the trash dumps, barracks,
street areas and in the main building, which was in a later phase modified into
a church. The rope and ltnots were dated to all periods of occupation.
Qasr Ibrim was a town built as an eagle's nest high above the River
Nile in Egyptian Nubia. In periods of unrest, the population left the hamlets
down by the river and built their houses in the town, protected by strong
defences. Qasr Ibrim has a long history, from the New Kingdom period (1500
B.c.) to the 19th century. The rope and knots from Qasr Ibrim are all from
one house-area. The house is dated to the Meroitic and the X-group period
(3rd century B.C. to 6th century A.D.).
Before continuing with a survey of the rope making and knotting tech-
niques occurring at these sites, the terminology used in this section should be
briefly reviewed. Any terminology is derived from a classification, however im-
plicit and inconsistent the criteria for such a classification may be. The criteria