ABSTRACT
The Egyptian Red Sea trade is perhaps the best attested, and some might say the most significant, area of the eastern trade of the Roman Empire. The Red Sea had been used for trade even in the Pharaonic period, during which expeditions had been sent to ‘Punt’ (probably Somalia) and to Arabia. However, it was only, to a limited extent, in the Ptolemaic period, and then in the Roman era that the trade began to reach as far as India on a regular basis. For the Hellenistic and Roman periods, considerable literary, archaeological and papyrological evidence has come to light which allows us to form an adequate picture of the commerce. While we cannot determine the volume of trade carried, it would seem clear from the evidence available that the trade was a substantial and profitable one in Roman times. Accordingly, it is proposed to examine both the history and nature of the Egyptian Red Sea trade, coupled with studies of the participants in the commerce and some possible effects of the trade on Roman Egypt. By this means, it is hoped that we can arrive at some understanding of the broader significance of the commerce with respect to the inhabitants of Egypt, the local military and the imperial government.
