They Braved Vicious Hippos To Commute Via Boat
Ancient Egyptian society depended on the Nile River for nearly everything. They used it to irrigate their crops, make their clothes, and even get from place to place. The lower class would use skiffs - boats made out of papyrus reeds - for their day-to-day traveling. More elaborate ships were constructed from acacia wood to transport the large stones used in pyramid construction.
Besides commuting, boats also served ceremonial purposes. They were used in funeral processions, when the mummified body of a noble would be transported down the river to his burial site by boat.
These journeys weren't always safe. People who traveled on the Nile had to keep an eye out for hippos and crocodiles. At least one pharaoh, Menes, was reportedly attacked and killed by a hippo. Dr. Benson Harer, a physician and Egyptologist, even theorized that King Tut was maimed by a hippo, eventually leading to his premature death.
