Today, we tend to take boats for granted. However, their invention changed the world of travel, commerce and even war. Long ago, locating and settling near a water source would mean the difference between life and death. People still enjoy living near the water but for much different reasons. In the past, close proximity to water made it easier for people to collect water for drinking, bathing and cleaning. Farmlands located near water were typically more fertile and conducive to crop growth. The ability to travel via water would be a challenge that the ancients would take on and eventually master. There is evidence that boat travel was used for transportation and travel in as early as 130,000 years ago in Crete. While there is no definitive evidence to prove this, there is circumstantial evidence.