Livestock Economy at Berenike, a Hellenistic City on the Red Sea (Egypt)

Abstract

Berenike Trogodytika was one of the cities founded by Ptolemy II in the early third century BC as a trans-shipment point for importing East African elephants for the Hellenistic Egyptian army. Our archaeological research at the site has resulted in the analysis of 9498 animal remains and 8644 mollusc shells that revealed the environmental conditions of the Hellenistic port and fortress and some changes in the residents’ food economy and diet. The diet of the Berenike garrison in the first period of operation (about the first half of the third century BC) was based on grains and marine fauna—fish and molluscs, with sheep and goats as supplementary sources of meat. In the “fort” area, remains of animals imported from the Nile Valley, namely cattle and pigs, appeared only sporadically. In the second half of the century, the importance of local products in the diet decreased. Instead, large cattle and very large and stout goats became the sources of the inhabitants’ meat consumption. This shift demonstrates that Hellenistic Berenike was linked to well-organized food supply networks, especially with places that had a well-developed animal breeding economy. This article discusses the archaeological evidence of this shift in meat consumption and the implications for livestock economy in Hellenistic Berenike.