Understanding the funerary boats of king senwosret III [carnegie museum of natural history (CMNH) is requesting funding for a manuscript preparation collaborative research grant to prepare an edited…

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the Carnegie Institute (doing business as Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh) $226,455 under the Collaborative Research program (CFDA 45.035) on October 1, 2026.

The award funds preparation of an edited volume documenting two approximately 4,000-year-old Egyptian funerary boats of King Senwosret III. The boats, currently held in the care of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, are among only a handful of preserved, life-sized ancient Egyptian vessels in museum care. The funded research capitalizes on a limited window while both boats undergo disassembly for treatment and remounting, enabling in-depth scholarly study previously unavailable. The resulting publication will survey ancient Egyptian boat-building techniques, trade, artistry, craftsmanship, spiritual practices, and symbolism. Performance occurs in Pennsylvania and runs through September 30, 2029.

The Collaborative Research program supports teams of scholars addressing significant humanities research questions and advance humanistic knowledge through joint research efforts.

Understanding the funerary boats of king senwosret III [carnegie museum of natural history (CMNH) is requesting funding for a manuscript preparation collaborative research grant to prepare an edited volume entitled & nbsp;?the dahshur boats of senwosret III.?  the goal of the proposed research and resulting publication is to fully document and study two CA. 4,000-year-old egyptian boats during the unprecedented and limited window of time that they are both disassembled for treatment and remounting. Currently in the care of the field museum of natural history (FM) in chicago and CMNH in pittsburgh, these boats are two of only a handful of preserved, life-sized ancient egyptian boats in museum care?none of which scholars have had the opportunity to study in such an in-depth manner. The publication resulting from this research will be a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art survey that will provide new and groundbreaking insights into ancient egyptian boat-building techniques, trade, artistry and craftsmanship, and spiritual practices and symbolism.]