Roads in the Deserts of Roman Egypt

Preface and acknowledgements List of figures 1. Introduction: research aims, book structure, and sources 1.1. Main research aims and scope 1.2. Structure of this book 1.3. This book as an atlas: maps of desert trails of Roman Egypt 1.4. Sources on ancient traffic along desert trails of Egypt 2. Road networks of Roman Egypt 2.1. Factors influencing road network structure in Roman Egypt 2.2. Dense and sparse zones in the Egyptian deserts under the Roman influence 3. Pack animals in ancient Egyptian desert transport: shifting patterns of use 3.1. Donkeys 3.2. Camels 3.3. Oxen 3.4. Horses 4. Roads of the Sinai Peninsula 4.1. Roman Sinai as the Nabataean trade corridor between Africa and Asia 4.2. Roads linking northern Egypt to Palestine 4.3. Nabataean road nexus in the Negev 4.4. Trails linking the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez 4.5. Trails across the central and southern Sinai 5. Roads of the Eastern Desert 5.1. Roads of the Eastern Desert – northern section 5.2. Roads of the Eastern Desert – central section 5.3. Roads of the Eastern Desert – southern section 6. Roads of the Western Desert 6.1. Roads from Alexandria 6.2. Roads between Memphis and selected Western Desert sites 6.3. Roads from Siwa to the Mediterranean coast and the Nile Valley 6.4. Roads from Bahariya Oasis to the Nile Valley 6.5. Asyut Oasis Junction (roads from Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga to Asyut) 6.6. Other roads from Kharga to the Nile Valley 6.7. Roads crossing the Qena Nile Bend 6.8. Roads linking Dunqul and Kurkur Oases with Syene, al Shabb, Selima and Kharga Oases 6.9. Roads between major oases 6.10. Roads from major oases to sites beyond Egypt 7. Road density area studies 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Area studies 8. Conclusions and future research Bibliography General index Geographical index