Born c. 1520 B.C., Egypt
Died c. 1468 B.C., Egypt

Ancient Egypt was a civilization ruled by pharaohs: rulers who were believed to be half-men and half-gods. They lived in incredible luxury in palaces and temples that were filled with exotic goods from other lands. These precious possessions were also buried with the pharaohs in their grand tombs, to be enjoyed in the afterworld. Overseas voyages were necessary to bring such riches—ivory, gold and silver, feathers and animal skins, incense and spices—to the desert kingdom.

Records of ancient Egyptian sea journeys are scarce. It is known that shipbuilders had to bring in wood from other countries to make large, heavy, seagoing ships. (For their river boats, they used tightly woven reeds taken from the Nile’s papyrus plant.) From ancient carvings, we know that the boats had flat hulls and square sails, which...