Binding the spheres — a comparative study of Late Antique trade networks at Berenike and Nea Paphos
2025, 34, No. 1
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Abstract
This paper presents a comparative study of the economic and strategic importance of two Late Antique ports: Berenike (on the Eastern Desert coast of the Red Sea, Egypt) and Nea Paphos (on the western coast of Cyprus). Both cities, situated in favorable geographic locations, were dynamic hubs of regional and interregional trade. The aim of this paper is to analyze their mercantile activity between the 4th and early 7th centuries AD, and to assess how they operated within the dense web of economic interdependencies of the Late Antique world. The research, based on the rich assemblage of more than 32000 fragments of transport pottery, sheds light on interregional trade patterns, as well as the consumption and distribution of goods spanning from Iberia to the western coast of India. Comparing these sites provides insights into their differing roles and economic strategies as actors in Eastern Mediterranean and Indian Ocean commerce. While separated by thousands of kilometers, Berenike and Nea Paphos fulfilled remarkably similar roles as intermediary agents, redistributing goods to key actors in their respective regions and linking interregional production centers. This study explores the diverse economic mechanisms that made Berenike and Nea Paphos two of the most important centers integrating the micro-markets of their regions with the macro-markets of the wider Byzantine economy.
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