Berenike and the Ancient Maritime Spice Route

Steven E. Sidebotham

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780520303386
• eBook ISBN: 9780520948389
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

The legendary overland silk road was not the only way to reach Asia for ancient travelers from the Mediterranean. During the Roman Empire's heyday, equally important maritime routes reached from the Egyptian Red Sea across the Indian Ocean. The ancient city of Berenike, located approximately 500 miles south of today's Suez Canal, was a significant port among these conduits. In this book, Steven E. Sidebotham, the archaeologist who excavated Berenike, uncovers the role the city played in the regional, local, and "global" economies during the eight centuries of its existence. Sidebotham analyzes many of the artifacts, botanical and faunal remains, and hundreds of the texts he and his team found in excavations, providing a profoundly intimate glimpse of the people who lived, worked, and died in this emporium between the classical Mediterranean world and Asia.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• List of Abbreviations
• Chapter 1. Introduction
• Chapter 2. Geography, Climate, Ancient Authors, and Modern Visitors
• Chapter 3. Pre-Roman Infrastructure in the Eastern Desert
• Chapter 4. Ptolemaic Diplomatic-Military-Commercial Activities
• Chapter 5. Ptolemaic and Early Roman Berenike and Environs
• Chapter 6. Inhabitants of Berenike in Roman Times
• Chapter 7. Water in the Desert and the Ports
• Chapter 8. Nile–Red Sea Roads
• Chapter 9. Other Emporia
• Chapter 10. Merchant Ships
• Chapter 11. Commercial Networks and Trade Costs
• Chapter 12. Trade in Roman Berenike
• Chapter 13. Late Roman Berenike and Its Demise
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index