A team from the Czech Institute of Egyptology recently discovered a 60-foot-long funerary boat buried near a tomb at Abusir, Egypt. Pottery in the boat and a stone bowl in the tomb bearing the name of King Huni from the Third Dynasty have been used to date the boat to circa 2550 BC. The boat is in remarkable condition, with the wooden pegs and rope holding the boat together surviving millennia in the sand. The boat does not appear to belong to royalty, but rather linked to an important member of Egypt's elite buried in the impressive tomb nearby. Archaeologists hope to learn from it more about the burial customs and shipbuilding methods of ancient Egypt.
Off-site Links:
http://www.archaeology.org/news/4113-160201-egypt-abusir-boat
http://www.history.com/news/archaeologists-uncover-rare-egyptian-funerary-boat-near-pyramid