Coptos to Myos Hormos Roman Road

This was a 111 mile (180 km) Roman Road that connected Coptos on the Nile with Myos Hormos on the Red Sea.

Myos Hormos is in Quseir al-Quadim (Old Quseir). Quseir is 5 miles north of the modern port of Al-Qusayr which was known to the Ancient Greeks as Leucus Limen (White Port).
The Road was not paved, but consisted of a cleared path through the mountains of the Eastern Desert.

Camel Caravans moved Goods between Coptos and Myos Hormos.
There were Eight Fortified watering stations called Hydreumata along the Route. They were walled enclosures which had deep wells, and acted as hotels for the travellers.
The caravan could safely enter and spend the night or day inside the walls. Detachments of Auxilia may have protected these Forts.
There were also 65 Towers along the Route, built of stones, that were intervisible with each other, and probably used for signalling.
Some were hill top forts possibly manned by the Auxilia, who could have signalled along the whole route between the Nile and the Red Sea.
This was designed to protect the valuable cargoes from the Nomads.
Some of the more valuable caravans were probably escorted by the Roman Camel Corps. In 215 CE an Auxilia unit of Mounted Palmyrene Archers from Syria was based at Coptos, and possibly helped to provide escorts for the camel caravans.

The road ran via the Wadi Hammamat, a dry river bed halfway along the route.
This was a major mining region, with Emerald Mines, Gold Mines and Stone Quarries all nearby.
It still holds 3,000 years of Graffiti written by passing travellers.

This is a list of the Tolls to be paid by travellers and their goods on this road.

The Papyrus describes the transfer of cargo from the Red Sea Ports to Coptos by Camel Caravans.
The Muziris Papyrus also shows that Goods from the Red Sea were recorded when they arrived in the warehouses at Coptos, but the 25% Government Tax was paid in Alexandria.

This is a list of 54 items from the East that were subject to Duty issued under Marcus Aurelius (176-180 CE).

Wadi Hammamat