Hello, boys and girls! Excuse me if the topic had already been discussed here earlier. Sorry, I don't believe as if Sailing knots are the oldest. I don't believe in any "Egyptian" or "Phoenician" so-called "ancient" knots. It would be interesting to know who invented knots? Please, share your thoughts!
I assume that the oldest knot is "Overhand knot" what was tied with softened pine-tree roots to connect something together.
Then perhaps appeared "Noose" (abok #43 p.204) of birds hunters' tied with horse's hair. Fishermen didn't need any knots because they did hunt with a sharpened stake ashore. Clothes were made of animals' skin and wool not grass (linen or cotton or silk or even nylon like today).
Then horses were domesticated and horsemen' knots appeared: Clove Hitch, Alpine Butterfly Knot, Cow Hitch. And fishermen gave: Fisherman's knot, Figure [of] Eight Knot, Overhand Bend.
Then weavers' craft appeared and Sheet Bend was invented. Weavers made nets tied with Sheet Bend for fishermen. Weavers made clothes, sheets, sails of linen later.
Then relatively recently nautical knots appeared when big ships with sails were invented. Seamen adopted Weaver's Knot (Sheet Bend) what became Bowline. "Sheet Bend" because seamen' hammocks were made of sheet (sail), isn't it? (Ashley also described the Sheet Knot to descent from the second floor along sheets tied with Square knot with two Overhand knots) Seamen added: Flemish Bend, Bowline.
Then Climbing appeared just 200 years ago and took all knots from seamen, horsemen, fishermen, weavers: Figure [of] Eight on a Bight, Figure [of] Eight Bend (Flemish Bend), Alpine Butterfly Knot, Grapevine (Double Fisherman's Knot), Clove Hitch, Prusik Hitch (Cow Hitch), Bowline.
I mean there is not any "ancient" knots but ancient occupation or craftsmanship: hunting and fishing > horsemen > weavers and seamanship > climbing > arboriculture and industrial climbing (today).