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Grant “OPUS” nr 2023/25/N/HS3/00XXX / Project director Dr. Emilia Smagur

The proposed project aims to explore the domestic life of the post-Roman (4th - 6th c. CE) Eastern Desert port through a multidisciplinary study of the westernmost insulae of Berenike which was, most probably, controlled in this very period by the Blemmyes. It is inspired by anthropology and sees a household as an essential unit of analysis, being a social construct and the fundamental element of human society. It intends to combine methods of inquiry used in disciplines such as history, archaeology, ethnography, and chemistry to obtain a multifaceted, cross-disciplinary perspective on the complexity and diversity of the roles of households. During its implementation, their various aspects will be elucidated through the study of domestic architecture, the use of domestic space, and the wide spectrum of domestic material culture. In order to fulfill the project objectives several important and interrelated research questions will be answered, related to the building techniques, house components, status, wealth, social background and geographical origin of the household members, the relation between the private and public space, the functional and social organization of domestic space, the dweller's perception of space within houses as well as rituals and symbolism in household behaviors. The area chosen for research covers three insulae and is located in the southwestern part of the town, on the eastern shore of the Berenike southwestern bay.


The research will be carried out in three main stages. For each year of the duration of the project, a five-week-long field season of survey and excavations in Berenike is planned, during which the site will be excavated, and georeferenced, the research area will be documented photogrammetrically, and the soil samples will be collected. Finds such as pottery, textiles, beads and ivory objects, wooden fragments, glass fragments, metal objects, and animal bones will be documented and analyzed. The macrobotanical remains will be also studied. The geochemical investigation of the
archaeological sediments will constitute an important component of the proposed research, providing an insight into the internal, spatial organization, and functions of spaces by linking human activities to specific chemical signatures. Since Berenike was abandoned by its inhabitant many artifacts might have been taken with them. Therefore, the view of a house from the perspective of activities performed is crucial for understanding the use and functions of rooms and
buildings, providing information about the activities not confirmed by the presence of artifacts, and revealing potential invisible activity areas that cannot be detected through classic archaeological methods. The reconstruction of a function of space and its changeability within households will be conducted based on geochemical analysis, investigation of planigraphy of artifacts, distribution of pottery, as well as botanical and faunal remains, information on architecture, all built-in features, and the results of an ethnographic survey conducted near Berenike. The dweller's perception of space will be examined by application of space syntax analysis (access to particular spaces
and visibility and exposure of areas within the house), providing a better understanding of the privacy and public-private dichotomy. For conceptualizing space within compounds, a Portnoy model of division of space will be applied. The relation of the houses to the rest of the town will be studied through building techniques, organization of space, and artefact assemblages.


The project is to be the first comprehensive study of the domestic architecture and households of the post-Roman Eastern Desert settlement, which also functioned as a port, providing further depth and texture to our understanding of social and economic practices in this region, as well as in the Indian Ocean world. The research questions regarding the site are also linked to the broader historical narratives about cross-cultural relations. The specific nature of ports and their connection with places across water meant that they might have attracted different people living in the same town. The analysis of households can also shed light on aspects of their lifeways and the cultural  interaction of different people in port towns.

The proposed project aims to explore the domestic life of the post-Roman (4th - 6th c. CE) Eastern Desert port through a multidisciplinary study o...

Inhabiting post-Roman Egyptian port: the households of Berenike

National Science Centre, Poland Grant ‘Preludium 21’ no 2022/45/N/HS3/01784 / Project director Jerzy Oleksiak

Since the Hellenistic period Red Sea region played role of the middle between Mediterranean and Indian Ocean which continues through golden age of Roman rule until Late Antique. Blemmyes, people living in the Eastern Desert in nowadays Egypt, were one of the most active participants of long-distance trade and prosperity of the region between 4th and 7th c. AD. They have managed to restore the greatness of Berenike – Indian trade emporium, and Senskis – settlement in Wadi Sikait specializing in mining and exporting emeralds across the Ocean to India and Sri Lanka. Dwellers of those two ancient settlements left rich material culture and amazingly well preserved architecture.




Aim of this project is cross-section study of unique ceramic material collected during excavations at both abovementioned sites (between 2015 and 2022). Gathered assemblage of pottery will serve as a major tool to forge better understanding of economic dependencies of Eastern Desert settlements with the world of Indian Ocean, and will help to explain dynamics between coastal and inland sites. Another goal of the project is to discover the source of the most needed and the most common pottery (kitchen and utility ware). Advanced provenance study supported by XRF analysis will try to answer this scientific question.




Innovative method of full quantification of ceramic material and dividing material into classes aims to inquire how deep the economy of the Red Sea was integrated with the Indian Ocean market in the Late Antique. End result of this study will be creating integrated Red Sea ceramic classification – comprehensive elaboration on pottery appearing in archaeological sites dated between 4th and 7th c. AD. Study over this type of material decisively increase our knowledge about economic exchange in this period as well as will result in better understanding of Red Sea Late Antique history as a period preceding Early Medieval Arab rule.




Following project is designed to take part in the very actual scientific trend of research over influence of Indian Ocean trade on economy of regions engaged in long distance exchange and to discover yet unknown relations between the world of Mare Nostrum and the Far East in the end of Antiquity.

National Science Centre, Poland Grant ‘Preludium 21’ no 2022/45/N/HS3/01784 / Project director Jerzy Oleksiak...

Sail South to Reach the East - Berenike and Red Sea as a Lacking Puzzle of Late Antique Indian Ocean Trade

National Science Centre, Poland Grant ‘Preludium 7’ no 2014/13/N/HS3/04400 / Project director Iwona Zych


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National Science Centre, Poland Grant ‘Preludium 7’ no 2014/13/N/HS3/04400 / Project director Iwona Zych...

Religious practices and beliefs in the Red Land: religious building complexes and cult objects from the port of Berenike as a manifestation of the religiousness of the population of the Egyptian Red Sea coast and Eastern Desert from the mid 3rd century BC to the early 6th century AD

National Science Centre, Poland Grant ‘Sonata 17’ no 2021/43/D/HS3/00350 / Project director: Dr. Emilia Smagur

Coins constitute a fascinating group of objects found at Indian Ocean port sites. Indigenous and foreign, they are being discovered in hoards, deposited in religious buildings, in graves and residential structures or as stray finds. However, their common perception as indicators of fluctuations of trade and site prosperity resulted in relatively little interest in their roles beyond that of their economic value.

The project aims to explore the potential of coin finds as a tool for understanding the economic and social history of ancient port communities. It aims to provide a new holistic view on how people inhabiting and visiting those settlements that were active in the sea trade used coins. Therefore, the similarities and differences between various port communities in their attitudes towards coins will be explored. The processes through which value was attributed to objects will be examined as well. Last but not least, the project aims to investigate whether coin finds from particular type of settlement (port town) can help with its categorisations.

The research is carried out in five main stages which include creating databases and datasets of coin finds from studied ports, analysing coin finds, examining the value of coins in ports, comparing coin use and value in ancient ports, and creating the comprehensive synthesis on coin use and value in the Western Indian Ocean ports. The concept of value associated with the object agency and object biography approaches provide theoretical frameworks on which the project is based.

Coins constitute a fascinating group of objects found at Indian Ocean port sites. Indigenous and foreign, they are being discovered in hoards, dep...

History from coins: the use and value of coins in the ancient Western Indian Ocean ports

National Science Centre, Poland Grant ‘Opus-22’ no 2021/43/B/HS3/02749 / Project director: Dr. hab. Marta Osypińska

: The discovery by Polish archaeologists of a cemetery of companion animals from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD in the ancient port of Berenike on the Red Sea has made the headlines worldwide, in academia as well as with the general public. Nowhere else have the close relations between ancient man and animal, also in the emotional sphere, been so well attested. Dogs, cats and small monkeys—these are the species that were kept as pets in ancient Berenike and the research, carried out within the frame of the first Polish National Science Centre (NSC) grant awarded for this subject, has already produced extensive new data on the appearance of these animals, their health, dietary habits and human care.  

While this information is invaluable to research in different fields: archaeology, history, zoology, veterinary medicine, sociology, it has gained in importance also in terms of a general human interest at a time when societies today are often in crisis and the need for closeness, also with other species, is so overbearing. From this standpoint, the project addresses three major research issues:  

1. why is it that the “animal pet cemetery” in Berenike finds no good parallels in the ancient world;  

2. what is the definition of the concept of “pet/companion animal”; and, perhaps foremost,  

3. how can archaeozoological data help to study concepts of value (both material and emotional) and identity (ethnical, cultural, religious etc.) in ancient societies.  

: In order to determine the extent of the animal pet cemetery in Berenike and its internal organization, the project aims to continue dedicated archaeological fieldwork based on a tested methodology, custom-tailored in terms of both archaeology and recording the results. The living conditions of the animals and their health will be examined in association with veterinarians, covering animals newly discovered in the course of the planned project, as well as those excavated in 20162020. An important part of the present project is the issue of the relations between man and his pet animals in the cultural milieus which had contact with the Berenike population: Europe, India, East Africa. Study visits and cooperation with specialists dealing with this question in other cultural and geographic areas should open new vistas for interpretation. It follows that all the artifacts found with these buried companion animals—coins, personal adornments, ostraka—are in need of a full and comprehensive study. The archaeological and archaeozoological results will be consulted with sociologists working on modern human-animal relations, their meaning for human communities, as well as for man’s health and interpersonal relations.  

: The archaeological data acquired by the Project PI in the course of earlier research will support a broader multi-disciplinary scientific debate even as they add to the general discourse about social issues today. Insight from a perspective of close to two millennia helps to ascertain the influence of factors like origins, religion, social status and gender. What value did these animals have for people? Was it strictly utilitarian and material, or emotional as well? In a world of instability, migration and displacement from the homeland, answers to these questions could help to understand modern human-animal relations.  

: Archaeology can play an active part in community life, helping to highlight issues that trouble modern societies. The discoveries from Berenike have already shown the general public how modern behavior can be traced in practices 2000 years old and more, and how modern man can find his place in a global community of animal owners thousands of years old. The measurable way of working toward this effect is through a series of articles in high-ranking academic journals, a monograph published by a recognized publisher, a forum to be established for exchange of information between researchers from different fields dealing with human-animal relations, today and in the past, and popular articles spreading knowledge on the subject.

Non-humans in Berenike society. Archaeozoological data for a discourse on ancient identity and value

National Science Centre, Poland Grant ‘Opus-12’ no 2016/21/N/HS3/00040 / Project director: Dr. Marta Osypińska

Within the ancient history of Egypt the Ptolemaic and Roman periods were crucially important for the domestic animals economy, and more over – for the animals economy in whole Mediterranean World. Coincidence of factors as stabilized political situation, economic prosperity and development of new sailing techniques using Indian Ocean monsoons initiated far distance marine trade between Europe, Horn of Africa and India. That was most probably a time of the first large scale import of ‘zebu’ cattle from India – nowadays dominating the African populations. Also other species were introduced for a first time from the same location – e.g. water buffalo, kept both in Egypt (gamusa) and Italy (so we can delight the taste of Mozarella di Bufala) or chicken – one of the most popular diet element worldwide. It was also a time when Europeans met the foundations of Egyptian kynology and domesticated cat as a house-kept pet. Most of the modern breeds of dogs and cats origins from Egypt of the late-antique.  

Our knowledge of this exciting and significant epoch origins from the historical sources however – both written and iconographic, merely finding support in empiric data as the archaeozoological results. We could explain it with the poor state of research or insufficient interest of archaeologists/Egyptologists focused on the political or religious issues. Also the Nile-related location of the most of excavated sites in Egypt doesn’t favor gaining data concerning Indian Ocean trade route. Thus, the Berenike excavations – ancient port town set by the Red Sea produce extremely important and unique data. Berenike was established by the pharaoh Ptolemy II as a landing point for war elephants carried by sea from the tropical Africa (kingdom of Aksum in nowadays Ethiopia). During proceeding period the port became a trans-oceanic shipping point mentioned in ancient ‘Periplus’ – one of the most important guide for  merchants and sailors. Also archaeological discoveries confirms the transfer of luxury goods through Berenike – emeralds, ivory, oriental spices and wood, wine, oil and exotic animals – apart African elephants also monkeys, cats and probably other species. Survival of a town community in harsh ecological conditions of Red Sea coast (with permanent drinking water deficit) was possible (among others) due to supplies of life animals – cattle, pigs but also the non-consumable accompanying pets. At the fringes of ancient port-town Polish archaeologists unearthed unique cemetery of house-kept animals including cats, dogs (e.g. molos-type - favorite war-dogs of Romans) and monkeys. All the burials display features of intentional inhumations, and the animals were kept in good wealth. 

Berenike finds no analogies in Egypt as the archaeozoological studies subject due to its potential. It is also a great challenge for the researchers demanding wide scale competences in the identification of species typical for Europe, North Africa but also India. Genetic analyses of secured samples should help in that issue, but as to the current Egyptian regulations disabling samples export, the main focus of research rely on classical field-based methods of identification. Thus, the current proposal embrace also scientific (archaeozoological) cooperation with the institutes from India and Ethiopia.   Archaeozoological research in Berenike undoubtedly will produce new significant data for a vivid debate on the origins of domestic species in the ancient Mediterranean world, but also let to analyze in details the economic aspects of the ancient port-town as well as the roots of emotional bond of man and pet-animals.

Within the ancient history of Egypt the Ptolemaic and Roman periods were crucially important for the domestic animals economy, and more over – for...

Africa-Europe-Asia: The significance of Intercontinental trade in Roman Period for the history of livestock. New archaeozoological data of Red Sea port Berenike (Egypt).

Grant ‘Sonata-17’ no 2021/43/D/HS3/00248 / Project director Dr. Mariusz Gwiazda

The objective of the project is to provide new insights into the communities inhabiting the Eastern Desert during the post-Roman period (4th-6th century CE) through a study of the necropolis of the port city of Berenike (Egypt) located on the Red Sea coast. It will include studies of the diversity in the biological profile of the local community, as well as of the burial customs, which has not been the subject of systematic inquiry to date. Evidences from new research at two necropolises located on the western fringes of the settlement will be collected and analyzed. This study will make it possible to determine how biologically and culturally uniform local community was.

These two necropolises from the post-Roman period will constitute the main basis for the reconstruction of the commemorative habits, which consist of different burial forms and grave furnishings. A great deal of diversity is expected in these areas. The potential richness in funeral customs will indicate the mixed nature of the community inhabiting Berenike in the 4th-6th century CE.

The anthropological approach will enable the reconstruction of the social structure of the city and facilitate the understanding of the living conditions of presumably distinct population groups. This will be based on identification of the growth, health, and lived experiences of these groups. The use of the combined results of archaeological and bioarchaeological studies provides a viable basis not only for reconstructing the funeral customs, but also for capturing nuanced insights into the social realities of this settlement. This will enable studies to be undertaken on the structure, hierarchy, and health status of potentially distinct population groups. An analysis of botanical macroremains from the stomachs of buried individuals will also make it possible to take into account the differences and similarities in the diet between individuals.

During field research diversified documentation methods and the application of analyses taking into account all the elements of the burials will be used. In addition to excavation, non-invasive magnetic prospection will be performed to identify the layout of the entirety of one of the burial grounds. Analyses of the landscape relationship of cemeteries and their spatial organization will also be performed. An important element of the study will be the use of radiocarbon dating in determining the chronology of both necropolises. Although the region was peripheral in ancient times, it was crossed by the trade routes connecting the Roman Empire to Axum, the Kingdom of Himyar, and the empires and kingdoms from Central Asia. This is the main explanation for the widespread interest in this region, in which Berenike is the central point of reference. Consequently, the results of the studies conducted at this site are linked to broader historical narratives and the question of cross-cultural relations. This project will also ensure a significant advance in the study of one of the less well-known North African states formed by the federation of Blemmyan tribes. Information on the demographic structure and the degree of biological heterogeneity will provide a detailed and solid profile of this community, which will yield new prospects for research into society.

The objective of the project is to provide new insights into the communities inhabiting the Eastern Desert during the post-Roman period (4th-6th c...

Cultural, demographic and biological profiles of post-Roman (4th-6th century CE) inhabitants of the port of Berenike (Egypt), based on non-invasive, excavation and bioarchaeological studies of two urban necropolises

Honor Frost Foundation Grant / Project director Dr. Mariusz Gwiazda

Berenike (Egypt) was a port town located at the Red Sea coast. It was the most important settlement in the area between the 3 rd century BC and the 6 th century CE, playing a key role in the intercontinental luxury goods trade. The excavation works spanning over 20 years provided unique insight into the economy in Antiquity and cultural contacts between the civilisations of Africa, Asia and Europe.


Currently, Berenike is located in the area of a military base, which is why it cannot be visited by people not involved in the archaeological excavations. The aim of this project is to overcome this barrier and provide the opportunity to visit Berenike to all those who have so far been unable to do so. This goal will be achieved by creating a IT system based on openly accessible websites. Such websites will include interactive maps and three-dimensional models of buildings and objects unearthed during the excavations, with popular science descriptions. Also, a virtual tour of the site will be prepare with a 360° camera.

Berenike (Egypt) was a port town located at the Red Sea coast. It was the most important settlement in the area between the 3 rd century BC and th...

Virtual Tour and 3D Presentation of an Inaccessible Heritage of the Berenike Red Sea Port

Grant “PRELUDIUM” nr 2015/17/N/HS3/00163 / Project director Dr. Marek Woźniak

The project of research on the Hellenistic phase of the operation of Berenike Trogodytika, one of the most significant and interesting archaeological sites of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region, proved to be a real scientific adventure. The planned collection and development of a large amount of materials obtained before its commencement created only the basis for extended, interdisciplinary archaeological-and-environmental works. These, however, not only led to fascinating discoveries in the field, but allowed a completely new eye to look at the Hellenistic base / city and its surroundings. It was only as a result of placing this extraordinary center in its geological, biological, economic and climatic environment that it was possible to state how it really functioned, and what effort was needed to erect it, supply it and keep it active.


From the chests of bones, shells, ceramic shards, dozens of coins and beads, piles of stone blocks and other archaeological materials (analyzed by world-renowned specialists - project consultants) emerged a picture of a distant fortress located on an inhospitable coast, where people struggled every day to keep this piece of Hellenistic civilization and to give his kingdom an access to amazing resources and goods of Africa and Arabia. The fortress, not only equipped in some places with double lines of stone defensive walls, with its own fortified harbor, metallurgical and ship-repair workshops, but also with the only known ancient well discovered on the entire Red Sea coast and even East Africa. Research of the described project allowed to state that the base / city was surrounded by no longer existing mangrove forests (with an abundance of edible molluscs and crustaceans) and acacia groves, that sometimes heavy rain fell here, the inhabitants exploited quarries located over 30km. from the city and they had herds of goats, cattle, sheep and sometimes even pigs. They also showed that, despite the intensive use of the rich resources of the Red Sea, Berenike would not exist without continuous, maritime transports of basic supplies. The view of ships entering the port loaded with sacks and amphoras must have been as ordinary as the view of transport aircraft supplying the Egyptian base in Baranis - the contemporary successor to Hellenistic Berenike and a brilliant analogy to the ancient predecessor.


The effect of the operation of Berenike and other Red Sea ports were not only dozens of elephants forming the war power of the Ptolemaic army and the piles of ivory, incense, precious stones and other luxury Indian and Arab goods (bought in South Arabian markets) that supplied the treasury of the kingdom. Its effect was also the incredible network of commercial and diplomatic contacts of Hellenistic Egypt and huge geographical and sailing knowledge, which even before the end of the Ptolemaic period let to draw the maps reaching the Horn of Africa, the southern tip of the Great African Rift Valley, Zanzibar and Sri Lanka. It was the discoveries of Hellenistic merchants (who in the second and first century BC sailed from the increasingly accessible for civilians ports of Berenike and Myos Hormos), even after centuries inspired the expeditions of R. F. Burton and J. H. Speke, D. Livingston, H. M. Stanley and other famous discoverers and explorers. These ancient voyages led to the discovery for Europe and indeed the world of the sources of the Nile, the lakes of Victoria, Albert or Tanganyika and the snowy peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya. It was the expeditions of Eudoxos of Kyzikos that paved the way and set goals that led to the opening of the high-seas road to India and the second of the three largest trade routes of the ancient world and inspired Christopher Columbus, Bartolomeo Dias, Joao de Castro, and Vasco da Gama.


Research of the described project (in addition to illustrating the picture of the functioning of Berenike and other Hellenistic centers in the region) has allowed for establishing contacts and cooperation with the largest scientific institutions of Europe and the world such as: Oxford University, British Museum, University of Delaware, University of Haidelberg, Institute Francaise d’archeologie Orientale, Institute HiSoMA – Histoire et Sources des Mondes Antiques, Leiden University, Yale University etc. It has also included Polish Scientist in the increasingly stronger current of research on the “Hellenistic world” and the “Hellenistic Era”, the most diverse, cosmopolitan and creative period in all of ancient history.

The project of research on the Hellenistic phase of the operation of Berenike Trogodytika, one of the most significant and interesting archaeologi...