Humans have tended to live near water, and it is natural to make use of things that float. Logs or bundles of reeds were lashed together to form rafts; hollow trunks were improved to become dugout canoes. Once the principle of a watertight hull was understood, animal hides or the bark of trees were attached to a framework of bamboo or wicker to make a simple coracle.
Boats of all these kinds have were made by technologically primitive communities, and many continue to be made into the 20th century.
Both the earliest civilizations, the Egyptian and the Mesopotamian, made extensive use of boats for transport on the Nile, Euphrates and Tigris. The Nile in particular provided a smooth ride, for the wind always blew from the north to the south and the current always flew from the south to the north. One of the earliest known boats, was discovered buried beside a pyramid at Giza, dating from around 2500 BC. It was made from planks of cedar, 143 feet (44m) long and 20 feet (6m) wide.
The Greeks, the Vikings and the Romans in order of the times of history extensively used large ships, known as War Ships to fight battles out on sea. Five banks of oars (rowed by 300 oarsmen), moved the ship and victory usually involved ramming the other ships, making the the size of the ship an important factor.