The trade routes and economic situation in the Western Desert during the Late Roman Period

Abstract

The caravan routes and stations on them were important landmarks in the desert landscape. The objective of the paper was to outline the links between the economic situation and the caravan routes in the Egyptian Western Desert in the late Roman Period, and to present the whole topic within the context of the Mediterranean region in those times.

The paper involves routes between the oases in the Western Desert (Bahariya and el-Hayz, Dakhla, Kharga, Siwa, Farafra) as well as the routes connecting the oases with the Nile Valley, and the Mediterranean coast.

Keywords

• Egypt
• Western Desert
• Late Roman Period
• routes