 By 3000 BC, the Egyptians knew how to assemble planks of wood into a ship hull.They used woven straps to lash planks together, and reeds or grass stuffed between the planks to seal the seams.An example of their skill is the Khufu ship, a vessel in length entombed at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2,500 BC and found intact in 1954.