A port at the edge of the Sea of the Greeks: Hellenism in Thônis-Heracleion, Egypt

Journal article

Located at the edge of the ‘Sea of the Greeks’ Thonis‑Heracleion was an important port of call for Greek traders sailing to Egypt. Initially a fortified gateway to the westernmost navigable branch of the Nile, the port developed into the most important emporium in the country from the time of the Saïte period and was most probably at the origin of the dynasty’s wealth. It lasted during the years of Persian domination until the foundation of Alexandria, after which the economy of the city took on an increasingly cult‑based nature in the Ptolemaic period. It is consequently possible to trace the mechanisms by which Thonis‑Heracleion developed from being an Egyptian frontier post into an Egypto‑Hellenistic city through the material culture excavated by the Institut Européen d’Archéologie Sous‑Marine. In this there is a transition from using Greek goods in Egyptian ways, through adopting and counterfeiting foreign goods and ideas, to finally creating hybrid objects combining both Egyptian and Greek elements. Through these developments we see how the Egyptian city of Thonis slowly became Greek Heracleion.

Authors: Robinson, D; Goddio, F

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Presses Universitaires de France
• Journal: Revue archéologique
• Volume: 68
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 435-450
• Publication date: 2020-01-04
• Acceptance date: 2019-05-14
• DOI: 10.3917/arch.192.0435
• ISSN: 0035-0737
• Language: English
• Keywords: Hellenism; Egypt; FFR; port; underwater archaeology; cultural change