Large ocean-going vessels are called ships, while all other water craft are called boats. The difference between ships and boats therefore is primarily a matter of size, with boats being the smaller vessels. If the earliest boat was probably a log or a bundle of reeds lashed together, then the first ship could be said to be large log rafts or the long, spoon-shaped reed vessels made by the Egyptians. Despite their size however, such craft were in no way capable of venturing out to the open sea, and remained largely river vessels or coastal craft.

By about 4000 B.C., the Egyptians had learned how to build long, narrow boats called galleys that were powered by rows of paddlers. As another 500 years passed, they developed the first sail and soon learned how to build ships out of planks of wood. By about 3000 B.C., they were able to...