Trade in Ancient Egypt and Nubia By Ancient History Encyclopedia, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.15.17 Word Count 1,033 Level 1190L A relief of members of Queen Hatshepsut's trade expedition to the land of Punt to the south of Egypt. The expedition was one of the most famous commercial endeavors in ancient Egypt. Many historians believe Punt is where Somalia and some other countries are today. Photo from Wikimedia Trade has always been a vital aspect of all civilizations. However many goods a country has, there is always something lacking that needs to be acquired through trade with another country. Ancient Egypt was rich in natural resources, but still had to rely on trade for many necessary goods and luxuries. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Early international trade By the time of Egypt's First Dynasty (3150 2890 B.C.), trade was already long established with Mesopotamia. It seems clear that earlier Mesopotamian cultures especially the Sumerians had a significant impact on the developing culture of Egypt. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Trade with other parts of the Middle East, Libya and Nubia had also begun by the time of the First Dynasty. Egypt had a trading colony in Canaan, a few in Syria and even more in Nubia. The Egyptians had already graduated from building papyrus reed boats to ships of wood and these were sent regularly to Lebanon for cedar wood. The overland trade route passed through the Wadi Hammamat, a dry river bed, and wound from the Nile to the Red Sea. Goods were packed and tied to the backs of donkeys for easier transportation. Fighting for gold in Nubia While many trade agreements were achieved through peaceful negotiation, some were established by a military campaign. King Djer was the third king of the First Dynasty of Egypt in 3,000 B.C., about 5,000 years ago. He led an army against Nubia in order to secure valuable trade centers. Nubia was rich in gold mines and, in fact, got its name from the Egyptian word for gold, nub. Later kings would continue to keep a strong Egyptian presence on the border of Nubia to ensure the safety of the resources and trade routes. Khasekhemwy, the last king of the Second Dynasty (2890 2670 B.C.), led campaigns to Nubia to put down rebellions and secure trade centers. His methods became the standard for the kings who came after him. One of the most important trade centers in Nubia was a city the Egyptians called Yam. During Egypt's Old Kingdom period (2613 2181 B.C.), Yam was an important source for wood, ivory and gold. The precise location of Yam is unknown, but it is thought to have been somewhere in the Shendi Reach area of the Nile in modern-day Sudan. Trade expands in the New Kingdom Yam continued as an important trade center through the Middle Kingdom period (2040 1782 B.C.), but was replaced by another called Irem by the time of the New Kingdom (1570 1069 B.C.). The New Kingdom period was the era when Egypt's trade was most profitable. The wealth it generated made it possible to build such impressive monuments as the Temple of Karnak, the Colossi of Memnon and the temple of Hatshepsut. It was Queen Hatshepsut who organized the best-known trade expedition to Punt in modernday Somalia. The expedition brought back boatloads of valuable items, including fragrant trees that could be used to make incense. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Plenty of grain The kinds of goods traded varied from region to region. Egypt had plenty of grain but lacked wood, metal and precious stones needed for amulets, jewelry and other ornamentation. Gold was primarily mined in Nubia and Egypt's neighboring kings often sent letters requesting that vast quantities be sent. The journeys to Nubia were not always easy. Yam was located far to the south, and a caravan had to endure threats from bandits, from regional rulers, and from nature itself, in the form of floods or windstorms. In the New Kingdom era, Egyptian trade became more efficient and wide-ranging. Trading fleets and caravans set out for places near and far, including Syria, Libya and the northern Mediterranean region. Within the Mediterranean, Egyptian goods reached the people of ancient Greece and the islands of Cyprus and Crete. Tolls, caravans and robbers The Egyptians took great care to oversee and protect their valuable trade. During the New Kingdom period, a police force manned border crossings, collected tolls and watched over the merchants coming and going from cities and villages. Armed escorts accompanied caravans and were a powerful deterrent against theft. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
If a merchant was robbed, he would appeal to the authorities of the region he was passing through for justice, but he might not always get what he felt was due. A thief had to be identified as a citizen of that region in order for the ruler to be held responsible. Even then, if the thief managed to get away, the king was under no obligation to compensate the merchant. This sort of situation is described in detail in the literary work The Report of Wenamun from 1090 1075 B.C. The text relates the story of Wenamun's trade expedition to purchase lumber, during which he was robbed. However, when he reported the theft to the local ruler, he was told there was nothing to be done because the thief was not a citizen. In Wenamun's case, he made the best of the situation by simply robbing someone else, but usually a merchant would return to the person or agency sponsoring the expedition and explain what happened. If the story was accepted, the robbed merchant was held blameless, but if the account seemed false, charges would be brought. Either way, the individual or agency whose goods were involved in the trade suffered the loss, not the person who carried them. Of course, no one wanted to acquire a reputation for losing goods, so merchants usually found it necessary to hire armed guards. If the merchants were employed in government-sponsored trade, their expedition was protected by a detail of soldiers. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Whatever the dangers and expenses, however, there was never a time when trade lagged in Egypt. This trade not only made otherwise scarce goods available, it linked distant parts of the world and allowed for cultural exchanges between many nations. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6