Historians surmise that the earliest ships appeared around 16,000 bc in Europe, and perhaps earlier in Asia and Africa. Little archaeological evidence for these prehistoric vessels survives because they were made from perishable materials. Prehistoric drawings illustrate that reindeer hunters of central and western Europe made hulls of animal skins sewn together around a birch wood frame, and archaeologists have discovered vessels made from skin and reindeer antlers dating from 9000 bc. Seal hunters plied the frigid waters of the northern Atlantic in boats constructed from sealskin stretched over frames of wood or whalebone. Ancient peoples used coracles, round, skin-covered vessels with wicker frames, to fish the lakes and rivers of what are now Ireland and Wales. Larger but similarly constructed currachs could sail the open waters of northern Europe. Hunters and fishers all over the world constructed similar hulls from birch bark, balsa wood, papyrus, ox hide, and other local materials.

The boat is quite similar to those used in ancient Egypt, which were made out of papyrus stalks bunched together. Many people believe Egyptians used this kind of boat to sail to America. Although there is no definite proof that this is true, explorer Thor Heyerdahl accomplished the journey in a papyrus boat modeled on ancient lines, proving that it is possible