Ancient Egypt for Kids
Sacred Barks

Barks: Traveling by boat was so common and normal to the ancient Egyptians that they even had their Sun God travel around by boat. In fact, many gods had a boat of their own. When a boat was used by an ancient Egyptian god, the boat was called a bark.

Temple Barks: Every temple had at least one, and usually more than one, bark within it, for the gods to use. These barks were not full size. They were scale models. During festivals and processions, barks were carried on poles through the town by the temple priests. Each bark was decorated for a god. For example, the bark of Amon curved up at each end, and each end was topped with a carving of a ram's head. Temple barks were created by talented craftsmen. Barks were sacred.

Bark Shrines: There were also bark shrines placed along a procession route that were treated like resting places for those in the parade. It was a safe place to stop, get a drink of something, and take a break.

Boats and Square Sails

Craftsmen in Ancient Egypt