Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

Transportation in ancient Egypt entailed the use of boats and ships for water travel; for landtransportation, attested methods include foot-traffic and the use of draft animals—especiallydonkeys and oxen, but also, from the first millennium BCE onward, camels. Land vehicles,including carts, chariots, sledges, and carrying chairs, were dependent on the existence and natureof suitable routes, some of which may have been improved or paved along at least part of theirextent. The transport of large objects, especially stone blocks, obelisks, and statues, requiredspecialized techniques, infrastructure, and vehicles.