Rene T.J. Cappers. Roman Foodprints at Berenike: Archaeobotanical Evidence of Subsistence and Trade in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.

Rene T.J. Cappers. Roman Foodprints at Berenike: Archaeobotanical Evidence of Subsistence and Trade in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. RENE T.J. CAPPERS Roman Foodprints at Berenike: ArchaeobotanicalEvidence of Subsistence and Trade in the Eastern Desert of Egypt(Berenike Report 6). xvi+232 pages, 135 illustrations & 10 tables.2006. Los Angeles Los Angeles(lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. (CA): Cotsen Institute of Archaeology The Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of University College London (UCL), in the United Kingdom. The Institute is located in a separate building at the north end of Gordon Square, Bloomsbury. at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los AngelesUCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University)UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ;1-931745-27-7 hardback $65; 1-931745-269 paperback $35. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In this elegantly written book, Rene T.J. Cappers reports theextraordinary archaeobotanical study of Berenike, an important harbourfounded in approximately 275 BC, on the Red Sea coast in the far southof Egypt. The rigorous scientific approach to the study of plantlandscape, organisation of trade and subsistence economy A subsistence economy is an economy in which a group generally obtains the necessities of life, but do not attempt to accumulate wealth. In such a system, a concept of wealth does not exist, and only minimal surpluses generally are created, therefore there is a reliance on renewal makes this booka wonderful example of the potential archaeoethno-botanical researchholds for historical archaeology Historical archaeology is a branch of archaeology that concerns itself with "historical" societies, i.e. those that had systems of writing. It is often distinguished from prehistoric archaeology which studies societies with no writing. . It also highlights how botanicalrecords can enrich written sources which, while useful, are, as Cappersremarks (p. 1), incomplete and not fully interpretable due totranslation and conceptual problems. During seven seasons of excavation, directed by Steven Sidebothamand Willemina Wendrich (from Delaware and Leiden respectively), hundredsof plant remain samples were collected from trenches related tobuildings or refuse deposits at Berenike, and from middens at the nearbyRoman settlement at Shenshef. The reconstruction of the former naturalvegetation is based on the plant remains and current vegetation. Theidentification of the possible supply areas is based on the naturaldistribution of the plant species, their archaeobotanical record fromEgypt and the surrounding area, and historical sources. Key sourcesinclude the Alexandrian Tariffand the Periplus Marls Erythraei, ahandbook for merchants describing commerce between Roman Egypt, easternAfrica, the Arabian Peninsula and India. The book is organised into an introduction and seven chapters, eachdealing with one aspect of the study, starting with the archaeology ofRome's trade networks and descriptions of the Roman installationsin the eastern desert (chapter 1). The second chapter containsinteresting notes on the current environment, climate, ecology andsurvival strategies of the desert plants, and Egypt's flora andphytogeographical regions. Most notably, a small-scale plant inventoryfrom around Roman sites has been drawn up from sixteen phytosociologicalsurveys, permitting both knowledge of the recent vegetation and a betterinterpretation of the subfossil record of wild plant species. Chapter 3is a description of some aspects of the current mode of nomadic See nomadic computing. living,drawn from Capper's personal experience with the Ababda nomads. Theinsights he gained from this relationship is a commonly reportedoccurrence among Westerners who come into contact with nomads and theirfascinating lifestyle in the desert. Chapter 4, which is strictly related to the archaeobotanicalresearch, is the largest part of the book. It begins with a look at thebasic difference between cultivation and domestication domesticationProcess of hereditary reorganization of wild animals and plants into forms more accommodating to the interests of people. In its strictest sense, it refers to the initial stage of human mastery of wild animals and plants. (one of the keypoints in the interpretation of plant remains found in large quantities,particularly of wild plants in historical and prehistoric times). Theauthor also stresses the need for methods of standardisation of thenomenclature and descriptions of plant remains. The chapter continueswith an interesting inventory of the 68 cultivated plants found in thedeposits, in the form of a highly detailed alphabetical listing, andcloses with a table of 110 wild plant taxa. Chapter 5 explores suchaspects as the economy of Berenike--an economy based on long-distancetrade--local cultivation and issues related to the conservation ofproducts and commodities. Berenike's inhabitants appear, on thebasis of the archaeobotanical analyses, to have cultivated some plantsthemselves. Cappers writes that the herbaceous her��ba��ceous?adj.1. Relating to or characteristic of an herb as distinguished from a woody plant.2. Green and leaflike in appearance or texture. plants most likely tohave been grown locally were vegetables in kitchen gardens, whileedaphic e��daph��ic?adj.1. Of or relating to soil, especially as it affects living organisms.2. Influenced by the soil rather than by the climate. problems probably prevented the cultivation of trees and cerealfields. In the latter case, for example, grain imports from the NileValley were a major support to Berenike. Chapter 6 illustrates the main conclusions, and contains twointeresting tables summarising the cultivated plants' possible usesand the quantitative data. The former natural vegetation 'would nothave differed much from the present one' contends Cappers (p. 155).Interestingly, indigenous plant species are more common among plantremains of the more recent periods than among those of the earlyhabitation HABITATION, civil law. It was the right of a person to live in the house of another without prejudice to the property. 2. It differed from a usufruct in this, that the usufructuary might have applied the house to any purpose, as, a store or manufactory; whereas period. The Romans' usual regard for local products (seetable 6.3, p. 163) emerges even in this arid environment, which wasunsuitable for Mediterranean cultivations and sustained only quitelimited local cultivations. Most of the food and firewood supplies hadto be obtained from remote areas. Finally, chapter 7 offers a preciouscatalogue of rare and problematic records, with diagnostic features; acomplete inventory, in the form of an atlas, would have been even morewelcome. Furthermore, the accompanying photographs could be crisper andmore information on seed/fruit concentrations would have been useful toexperts. Beautiful colour plates close the book. Summing up, this useful and interesting book is a precious tool foranyone wanting to explore the world of archaeobotany; at the same time,it is an easy read for non-experts intent on discovering the history ofBerenike from a different perspective. Berenike, once famous for itsstrategic position between sand and sea, has been restored to itsrightful place thanks to key studies reported in a collection of sixvolumes. The volume under review represents an essential element inreconstructing the 'foodprints' at the boundaries of the RomanEmpire. ANNA MARIA MERCURI Laboratorio di Palinologia e Paleobotanica, Dipartimento del Museo di Paleobiologia e dell'Orto Botanico, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy (Email: mercuri.annamaria@unimo.it)