Giant Indian coracles

[Epictetus]

I had thought that on the Nile they used round reed boats at times, but I couldn't find anything. However, I did run across this fascinating picture from the Tigris in 1920.

http://www.old-print.com/mas_assets/full...942899.jpg

[John Conyard]

Something in Herodotus on reed boats. 2.96.

I thought coarcles were used about everywhere. India, Iraq etc etc. Even in the Bible, Exodus 2:3 according to Wiki!

[caiusbeerquitius]

I saw loads in Vietnam :-)

[Caballo]

Thank you- yes, it seems that coracles are not (as I thought) a purely Welsh and Irish boat but a very ancient form of transport.

a/ Babylonia / Itaq


"For purely local traffic in small bulk the gufa, or light coracle, may have been used in Babylonia at this time, for its representation on the Assyrian monuments corresponds exactly with its structure at the present time as used on the lower Tigris and Euphrates. The gufa is forme of wicker-work coated with bitumen, but some of those represented on the sculptures from Nineveh appear to have been covered with skins as in the description of Herodotus." (Haven't found the Herodotus quote yet)



This lasted in Iraq till the 1970s- from the Encyclopaedia Britannica "Until the 1970s gufas—huge circular coracles of basketwork, coated with bitumen and capable of carrying up to 20 passengers—were in regular use in the vicinity of Baghdad."

"A gufa is a circular boat propelled by a pole or single paddle, rather like a coracle. This model represents a Baghdad gufa from 1930.

The round basketry hull is constructed from ribs of wood from the pomegranate tree, interwoven with rope made from date-palm leaves and a rail of tamarisk roots. The outer surface of the gufa is made watertight by a coating of bitumen.

A wide variety of traditional water vessels were used throughout the vast continent of Asia. The gufa was prevalent around the Euphrates river in Arabia." (National Museum of Scotland.)

So using reed rather than skin.









And even strong enough to transport horses!!

[Caballo]

b/ Egypt

As John C said, in the story of Moses in Exodus

"But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River."

Also Pliny, book lib. , cap. 16, "naves papyraceas armamentaque Nili", "ships made of papyrus and the equipments of the Nile:" and lib. xiii., cap. 11, "ipsa quidem papyro navigia texunt": "Of the papyrus itself they construct sailing vessels." Herodotus and Diodorus have recorded the same fact; and among the poets, Lucan, lib. iv., ver. 136: Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro, "The Memphian or Egyptian boat is constructed from the soaking papyrus."



c/ N.America where it is known as a bull boat, covered , like a coracle by hide. (From Mandan Nataive Americans ?)





d/ Asia

*Tibet – ku-dru and kowas
* Vietnam – thung-chai
* Iraq – gufa or quffa
*India – parisal (tamil) teppa or harigolu (kannada)


So- the Romans certainly knew of this boat and it seems both incredibly widespread in design and very, very ancient.

Does anyone know of other references to coracle like craft in the Ancient world between Egypt and Britannia?

[Epictetus]

:errr: What in the world? I see myself as being the starter of this topic, when I actually replied to Paul! Am I seeing things?

[Caballo]

No , I messed up trying to rename the topic and managed to delete my own post. I struggle with technology after 476 AD.....