The ships of any age express the needs and ambitions of the people who build them. They also reflect the state of technology at the time. But the history of ships is not just a reflection of the history of man; but a complete story in itself. It begins 5000 years ago, on the banks of the Nile, with the funeral ship of a distant pharoah. At first, ship propulsion was largely a matter of sweated labour, but gradually the oared ship gave way to the sailing ship.