Asyut – centre of ancient trade

The aim of the project is to clarify the role of Asyut as a hub of trade during Pharaonic and Byzantine Periods (i.e. 3rd millennium BCE to 1st millennium CE) as well as to reveal what factors had shaped this trade in particular historical epochs.

The project will reconstruct the exchange of goods between Asyut and different countries/regions in Europe, Africa and Asia. It will show how closely connected the world was from the 2nd millennium BCE at the latest to the 1st millennium CE. It will help to understand the driving forces, the mechanism, and the consequences of the exchange of goods. The longue durée of the research subject will allow to show whether and how different religious and social environments in one and the same city had influence on international relations.