Long-distance trade and the exploitation of arid landscapes in the Roman imperial period (1st - 3rd centuries AD)
If as argued the Mediterranean consisted in Antiquity of a unity determined by similar environmental factors and crises which were mitigated through established networks of trade and exchange, the border regions of the Roman Mediterranean, particularly to the South and East, were characterised by a radically different environment. This thesis focuses on the development of three of the arid regions bordering the ancient Mediterranean, namely the Fazzan oases in the Libyan Sahara, the Eastern Desert of Egypt and the region of Palmyra in Syria. These arid regions have received considerable archaeological attention in recent years, and a review of them will highlight the factors which enabled these regions to interact with the Roman Empire through trading dynamics, but also through the development of local resources. Central questions within this thesis concern the extent to which the environment would have tailored the potential of these regions, and if the existence of trade routes and social networks both affected and were affected by settlement and exploitation patterns in the region. Trade was created by geographically much broader social requirements for foreign or exotic goods, yet was restricted by the
Schorle, Katia
Archeology ; Landscape ; Roman archeology ; Economic and Social History ; History of Africa ; History of the ancient world ; Arid environmental systems ; Roman Archaeology ; Egypt ; Syria ; Libya
Long-distance trade and the exploitation of arid landscapes in the Roman imperial period (1st - 3rd centuries AD). If as argued the Mediterranean consisted in Antiquity of a unity determined by similar environmental factors and crises which were mitigated through established networks of trade and exchange, the border regions of the Roman Mediterranean, particularly to the South and East, were characterised by a radically different environment. This thesis focuses on the development of three of the arid regions bordering the ancient Mediterranean, namely the Fazzan oases in the Libyan Sahara, the Eastern Desert of Egypt and the region of Palmyra in Syria. These arid regions have received considerable archaeological attention in recent years, and a review of them will highlight the factors which enabled these regions to interact with the Roman Empire through trading dynamics, but also through the development of local resources. Central questions within this thesis concern the extent to which the environment would have tailored the potential of these regions, and if the existence of trade routes and social networks both affected and were affected by settlement and exploitation patterns in the region. Trade was created by geographically much broader social requirements for foreign or exotic goods, yet was restricted by the
long_distance_trade exploitation arid landscape roman_imperial period argue mediterranean consist antiquity unity determine similar environmental_factor crisis mitigate establish network trade_exchange border region roman mediterranean particularly south_east characterise radically_different environment focus development arid region border ancient_mediterranean namely libyan sahara eastern desert egypt region syria arid region receive_considerable archaeological attention review highlight factor enable region interact roman_empire trading dynamic also development local_resource central_question within concern_extent environment would tailor potential region existence trade rout social_network affect affected settlement exploitation pattern region trade create geographically much broad_social requirement foreign exotic good yet restrict