Between the Nile and the Ocean. The bead assemblage from Shenshef in the Eastern Desert (4th–6th centuries AD)

Abstract

More than 200 beads and pendants were found in seven trash middens excavated at the 4th/5th to the 6th century AD settlement site in Shenshef in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. The site lies close to the Sudanese border and the Red Sea coast, and about 20 km to the southwest of the ancient port of Berenike. Although the purpose of the settlement has not been established, excavations provided a wide range of imports from the Mediterranean region and the Indian Ocean. An overview of the materials and manufacturing techniques applied in the production of the beads and pendants confirms the short- and long-distance contacts of Shenshef inhabitants. In addition to the many bead parallels that link the site with the Red Sea ports and the Nile Valley region up to the First Cataract, the presence of South Indian/Sri Lankan beads at Shenshef is especially meaningful. They may be proof of the intermediary role played by the Shenshef inhabitants in trading overseas imports into the Nubian Nile Valley region.