In Near Eastern studies, it has come to be accepted by many as fact that predynastic trade routes connected Egypt and Mesopotamia. The existence of such trade routes, however, has until recently largely been based upon the two regions’ shared influences rather than on archaeological evidence.
In From Egypt to Mesopotamia, Samuel Mark ferrets out the two possible trade routes between these two vastly different cultures. Ancient shipwreck sites and recently discovered artifacts allow Mark to delineate avenues of trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Taking to task previous studies that describe the Egypt-Mesopotamia trade connection as being one between two homogeneous cultures, Mark focuses on the variety of cultural differences, rather than their shared similarities, to map the infusion of these cultures.
Scholars, students, and nautical archeology and egyptology enthusiasts will appreciate this probing, fascinating trek through sea, sand, and time, unfolding the development of trade routes in the East.
