GONE FISHING!
Ancient Egypt|September / October 2020
Joseph L. Thimes casts his rod in search of the techniques used by the ancient Egyptians to fish for food and for sport.
Joseph L. Thimes
GONE FISHING!

Fish formed a major part of the ancient Egyptian diet with catch from the Nile itself and from the Mediterranean and Red Seas to the north and east of the country. Fish provided the main protein source for most Egyptians. Methods of preparing fish as food included drying, pickling, boiling, or roasting.

In general, fishing methods stayed the same throughout ancient Egypt’s history. Fishermen cast hand-held nets from a boat, or slung a net between two boats (as shown above). Fish were also caught using drag nets from the shore, by angling (using line and hook), and were speared or caught in a small net in the shallows.

Fishing was well organised with fish farms and breeding grounds, teams of fishermen operating together to make a living, and the manufacturing of fish netting and traps. Fishermen toiled singly, in small groups, and in several squads. At the Old Kingdom workers’ village near the pyramid at Giza, a large facility processed sufficient fish to feed thousands of skilled artisans there. Thousands of fish bones, gills, fins, and heads were discovered, including the remains of Nile perch, an expensive fish which was caught by line and hook in the deeper Nile waters. A cheaper fish, the catfish, was caught in the Nile River basins when its waters receded.

What Fish Did They Catch?

This story is from the September / October 2020 edition of Ancient Egypt.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September / October 2020 edition of Ancient Egypt.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ANCIENT EGYPTView All
INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER
Ancient Egypt

INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER

Sean McLachlan explores the recently reopened interior of this iconic Third Dynasty Saqqara monument.

time-read
2 mins  |
July/ August 2021
PER MESUT: for younger readers
Ancient Egypt

PER MESUT: for younger readers

She Who Loves Silence

time-read
4 mins  |
July/ August 2021
Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband
Ancient Egypt

Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband

Campbell Price describes an offering table with a touching significance.

time-read
2 mins  |
July/ August 2021
Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth
Ancient Egypt

Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth

Campbell Price describes the significance of two statue busts on display in the Museum.

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy
Ancient Egypt

TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy

Rosalie David and Eileen Murphy explain how scientific examination of the ‘Belfast Mummy’ is revealing much new information about her life and times.

time-read
9 mins  |
May / June 2021
Lost Golden City
Ancient Egypt

Lost Golden City

An Egyptian Mission searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun has discovered a settlement – “The Dazzling of Aten” – described as the largest city ever found in Egypt (see above). Finds bearing the cartouches of Amenhotep III (see opposite, top) date the settlement to his reign, c. 1390-1352 BC – making it about 3400 years old.

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem
Ancient Egypt

Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem

BOOK REVIEWS

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price
Ancient Egypt

Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price

BOOK REVIEWS

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara
Ancient Egypt

Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara

An Egyptian team working on a Sixth Dynasty pyramid complex near the Teti pyramid at Saqqara has made a series of important discoveries.

time-read
1 min  |
March / April 2021
Map Of Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Map Of Egypt

What’s in a name? It is easy for us to forget that the names we associate with the pyramids – such as the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid or the Black Pyramid – would have been meaningless to their builders.

time-read
3 mins  |
March / April 2021