Ancient Egypt Fishing Facts

Fishing in ancient Egypt was for sport as well as for food and trade. The Nile constituted most of the fishing area for the Egyptians with an ample amount of fish. The Egyptian diet being based heavily on grains, fish were an easy source of protein for the peasant class.

Some species were considered to be better than other species, such as the Nile Perch and Eel as they were considered sacred to the Nile. Other species eaten by the Egyptians were catfish, carp, mullets, tilapia, elephant-snout fish, tiger fish, and moonfish. The fish would be cleaned and prepared by either pickling, roasting, drying, or by boiling.

To catch the fish ,Egyptians used nets, traps or pens, hooks and harpoons. The hooks were simple line and hook format (later using more conventional rod and line format) in which the hook was usually made from bone. The size of the hooks ranged from eight millimeters to eighteen centimeters.

By the 12th Dynasty, metal hooks began to replace bone, and barb and barb-less hooks were used. The use of nets and corralling fish was also done. There were dangers to the fisherman, the Nile crocodile could easily take fish off the lines and also make a quick meal out of any fisherman than fell over board from the canoes.

Fishing was a way for the Egyptians not only to get food but also to relax and enjoy a day by the river. Many tomb paintings show fisherman by the water catching fish and even lazily sitting in chairs by the river. Fish also played a role in temple offerings such as catfish at the temple of Amen.

Ancient Egyptian fisherman and modern day anglers have much in common, even though the technology has gotten better, the methods have stayed relatively the same. Anglers still catch fish for food and sport, the local supermarket sells fish in many of the same ways Egyptians prepared their fish for the market. Fish were a food source, a part of the economy, and a pastime for many young and old.

The ancient Egyptians enjoyed all kinds of sports and one of them is fishing. Fishing was an exciting sport. Meat was not eaten by many farmers, they mostly stuck to bread and beer, vegetables and dried fish. It seems that hunting was reserved for the richest noble. Fishing in Ancient Egypt was one of the sports practiced by kings, princes and commoners.

 There are many drawings of scenes of fishing as a hobby on the Saqqara tombs of the Old Kingdom as much as it is on the monuments of the New Kingdom. The Egyptian Museum includes many types of fishing rods and hooks of various shapes, which indicate the progression of the sport in ancient Egypt.

Many different artifacts such as fishing rods and various types of brackets were found to show the versatility of their equipment. Several photos show fishing in a recreational context. This evidence suggests that Egyptians were the first to fish for fun. Water was another leisure activity of the Egyptians. The Pharaohs boasted of their yachts with more decks containing cabins, kitchens, dining rooms and lounges.

Fishermen using nets and fishing hooks that do not have much to place in a boutique modern fishing equipment. The boats made by the ancient Egyptians included items such as cedar planks and oars, ropes Halfa grass, wooden dowels and battens, and copper staples.
The ancient Egyptians created three types of boats. These are simple reed rafts, wooden boats and boat as papyrus. Simple reed rafts were used for hunting in the marshes. Reed rafts was also used for fishing.

Wooden boats generally replaced papyrus rafts for Nile travel, and as they were faster and more stable than rafts, they were also used for transportation. The third type of boat was the boat as papyrus, their shape reflects royalty and gods. These ships were used as pleasure boats and transport also for royalty. These ships were also used for funeral and burial purposes.

A group of people wading in the ocean somewhere where it was quite shallow, and when they were as far as the fish they spread out on the net, and walk forward, and then the men walked to the end other and close the net, and they would all boil down to the coast. Fish are much more abundant in the Nile as they are today.

But true fisherman face real dangers. There were species of catfish of a toxic and most dreaded enemy of all, the crocodile. If a boat has capsized, there was a real risk of being devoured by the monster of the Nile. However, fishing was also a time for fun. Some tomb paintings showing fisherman fun trying to hustle each other with their fishing rods.

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