A lot of pepper and a little garum: an archaeological comparison of the Roman presence at Berenike and Arikamedu

Abstract

This paper investigates, by means of comprehensively comparing two archaeological datasets

and related ancient textual sources, what differences and/or similarities can be observed

about the Roman presence and participation in trade exchanges at the ports of Berenike

(Egypt) and Arikamedu (India) during the 1st–2nd centuries AD. These findings are then used to raise new points of discussion concerning patterns of exchange and connectivity across the Indian Ocean, and the role of Rome within these processes. Rather than offering a basic comparison of two individual ports, this study takes a bottom-up approach to all currently available evidence from both sites, on which its wider interpretations are subsequently based. Main interpretative aspects include the geography, infrastructure and economic contexts of the port sites, and a second point of focus pertains the possible connections between the archaeological materials of ancient Tamil provenance at both sites.