Come and dine with me… Early Roman luxury glass tableware from Berenike — new evidence from the harbor area and trash dumps Cover Image

Come and dine with me… Early Roman luxury glass tableware from Berenike — new evidence from the harbor area and trash dumps
Come and dine with me… Early Roman luxury glass tableware from Berenike — new evidence from the harbor area and trash dumps

Author(s): Renata Kucharczyk
Subject(s): Archaeology, Diplomatic history, Ancient World, International relations/trade
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Berenike; Indo-Roman trade; Periplus Maris Erythraei; early Roman glass; polychrome cast glass; colorless glass;

Summary/Abstract: The harbor of Berenike on the Red Sea coast of Egypt was a major transit point in the longdistance trade of luxury commodities between the Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean Basin. The heyday of the commerce and the prosperity of the port lasted from the 1st to the mid-2nd century AD. A huge quantity of commodities passed through the port, imported not only for the purpose of exchange, but also for self-consumption. Glassware was among them. The high proportion of wares of high quality and exceptional esthetic value is quite extraordinary, even by modern standards. These wares highlight the position of Berenike in the trade, but they also showcase the city’s wealth and the great demand for luxury glass that existed there in the first centuries of the Roman Empire.

  • Issue Year: 2/2017
  • Issue No: XXVI
  • Page Range: 147-166
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: English