Berenike and the Ancient Maritime Spice Route by Steven E. Sidebotham

California World History Library

by Steven E. Sidebotham

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.

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published January 2, 2011

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Berenike was not abandoned suddenly, but apparently it was too far away from the new centers of habitation to tap as a quarry for wooden beams or stone blocks. In fact, the site has been surprisingly undisturbed since its desertion. Many archaeological sites in Egypt display ample evidence of looting, but Berenike has been allowed to crumble quietly and fill up with windblown sand.... The result is a site that is, for the most part, a treasure trove of information on Indian and other "non-Roman" material culture, information that has not survived in the wet conditions of the Indian Ocean littoral. Excavations at late Roman Berenike have revealed something about the desert dwellers who temporarily settled here; such people rarely leave a trace in other archaeological contexts. Research at Berenike has documented something about the ordinary Roman soldiers and Egyptian camel drivers whose lives otherwise escape detection in government annals and ancient authors of the era." (281)

Excellent, detailed summation of years of archaeological work at Berenike, an ancient Red Sea port that had strong trading ties with India. Covers Ptolemaic, Roman, and late antique periods of settlement, and covers topics like water management, road construction, trade networks, and late Roman, non-Christian religious buildings. The writing style is prosaic, but the content is fascinating.