Berenike Troglodytica – Ptolemaic Red Sea Port & Lagoon Harbour
berenike-troglodytica-red-sea
Ptolemaic to Late Roman (275 BCE – 6th c. CE)·Ptolemaic Greek / Roman Egyptian / Indian Ocean· Red Sea Governorate, Marsa Alam desert coast, Foul Bay, EG
About
About Berenike Troglodytica – Ptolemaic Red Sea Port & Lagoon Harbour
Ptolemy II 275 BCE foundation on Foul Bay as elephant port, expanded under Augustus as Indo-Roman emporium exporting gold, pepper, pearls via Coptos Eastern Desert route. Lagoon harbour 2 km behind coral reef with channel, warehouses, Serapis temples, ostraka Nicanor archive. Lagoon silted +1 m Roman regression and reef growth. Sidebotham 1994– ongoing.
Why it mattersVerified harbour subsidence/silting marker for Mediterranean sea-level curves.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Harbour mole phasing
Theories
- 01Steady subsidence not quake
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Ptolemaic
- Period
- Ptolemaic to Late Roman (275 BCE – 6th c. CE)
- Culture
- Ptolemaic Greek / Roman Egyptian / Indian Ocean
- Builders
- Ptolemaic Greek
- Purpose
- Ptolemaic elephant port turned Indo-Roman pepper emporium — lagoon harbour behind coral reef now silted 1 m on Foul Bay.
- Abandoned
- Abandoned
- Rediscovered
- Survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
Ptol
Harbour peak
On the ground
Structures & features
23.9100° N · 35.4730° E · -2 m · 1 mapped feature
berenike-troglodytica-red-sea harbour mole
harbourMole at -2 m
23.9100° N · 35.4730° E