Sur les routes du désert Oriental égyptien: De la piste ptolémaïque d'Edfou à Bérénice au réseau des praesidia romains

Sur les routes du désert Oriental égyptien: De la piste ptolémaïque d'Edfou à Bérénice au réseau des praesidia romains

Bérangère Redon

This book explores the road networks that enabled travel across Egypt’s Eastern Desert over nearly a millennium, between the late 4th century BCE and the early 3rd century CE. It draws on the results of recent excavations conducted by the French archaeological mission to the Eastern Desert, and research carried out by the ERC Desert Networks project. 
The first part examines the evolution of human activity in the Eastern Desert between the Hellenistic and Roman periods, through the study of more than 150 sites, categorized into two main types: road stations and resource extraction sites. Using a theoretical model of movement that considers the camel’s pace and the region’s topography, refined by insights from early modern and modern travellers who have crossed the area, the road networks of each period are reconstructed, compared, and analysed. The singularity of the Ptolemaic road network, flexible and adapted to the constraints of the desert, is highlighted for the first time, compared with a dense, centralised Roman network that is also more diverse than generally presented. 
The second part focuses on the only route equipped with specialized infrastructure during the Ptolemaic period, the road leading from Edfu to the Red Sea harbour of Berenike. Based on archaeological and textual data from the excavations of the road stations at Bir Samut and Abbad, the author reconstructs the logistics of the large-scale hunting expeditions launched by the Ptolemaic state toward the Horn of Africa to supply its army with war elephants. Five major phases of these expeditions are identified, spanning from the early 260s BCE to the Theban revolt in the late 3rd century BCE. This remarkably well-organized system made use of long-standing Egyptian expertise in desert expeditions while also drawing inspiration from the Persian Royal Road system. It also involved nomadic groups, whose knowledge of local resources was strategically utilized and exploited. 
By emphasizing the Hellenistic occupation of the region and its unique features, this book profoundly revises our understanding of the organization, settlement and roadways of the Eastern Desert.

Publisher: MOM Éditions

Place of publication: Lyon

Published on OpenEdition Books: December 9, 2025

Series: Archéologie(s) | 12

Year of publication: 2025

Number of pages: 376

Dédicace

Introduction générale

Première partie. Des sites en réseau

Introduction de la première partie

Chapitre 1. Sites ptolémaïques et romains du désert, localisation, typologie, chronologie

Chapitre 2. Réseaux et routes ptolémaïques et romaines reconstruites par le modèle chamelier

Deuxième partie. La route ptolémaïque d’Edfou à Bérénice

Introduction de la deuxième partie

Chapitre 3. L’apprentissage de la route d’Edfou à Bérénice par les voyageurs modernes

Chapitre 4. Le système de la route d’Edfou à Bérénice : finalités, articulations et logistique

Chapitre 5. Chronologie de l’équipement de la route d’Edfou à Bérénice, rythme de fonctionnement et lien avec les chasses à l’éléphant

Chapitre 6. L’armée ptolémaïque sur la route d’Edfou à Bérénice : l’histoire d’une absence

Chapitre 7. Quel(s) modèle(s) pour la route ptolémaïque d’Edfou à Bérénice ?

Conclusion générale

Nature et pérennité du système routier lagide dans le désert Oriental

Index

Bibliographie

Table des illustrations