Valley of the Queens

The Valley of the Queens is a separate valley holding the Tombs of the wives of the Pharaohs who are buried in the nearby Valley of the Kings.
It is located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor which was Thebes, the ancient Capital of Egypt.

Valley of the Kings

The Pharaohs were from the Eighteenth to Twentieth Dynasties, a dynastic Period lasting 500 years between 1550 to c. 1070 BCE. The Valley of the Kings includes the Tomb of Queen Hatshepsut and the Tomb of King Tutankhamun.
Instead of being buried in Pyramids, these Pharaohs chose to be buried in a necropolis of rock cut tombs. The Tombs consisted of a long corridor passing through a series of halls, with several turns through 90°, before reaching the burial chamber.
They buried their wives in a separate necropolis, the Valley of the Queens.

Valley of the Queens, Luxor

Sabaean Kingdom

The Sabaean Kingdom (c.1200 BCE-275 CE) was located in modern Yemen and was an ally of the Roman Empire.

Roman Client Kingdom

Between 26-5 BCE, the Prefect of Egypt, Aelius Gallus, took two Legions for his campaign against Arabia Felix in the Yemen.
Strabo records that this expedition departed with 130 ships from the Port of Myos Hormos.
After this campaign the Sabaean Kingdom became a Roman Client Kingdom.

Cities

Its Capital was at Marib, near the modern Capital of Sana’a, (altitude 7,500 ft), one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Its main port was Aden, known as ‘Eudaemon’, a city built inside the crater of an extinct volcano.

The Incense Road

The Sabaeans conducted Trade with Egypt, Arabia, Azania, India and the Persian Gulf.
The Sabaean Kingdom was at one end of the Incense Road, along which it exported in Frankincense and Myrrh into the Mediterranean and Persia.

Azania

The Sabaeans are mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as conducting trade with the East coast of Africa and holding Dominion over Azania.

The Sea Silk Road

The Sabaean Kingdom conducted Trade with India and China across the Arabian Sea.

Marib, Yemen

Queen Hatshepsut

Queen Hapshepsut (1479-1458 BCE) was an Egyptian Pharaoh during the New Kingdom (1520-1075 BCE).
Hatshepsut built a Mortuary Temple at Deir el-Bahri, in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. The walls describe a sea voyage to the Land of Punt to collect exotic Goods.

Dynasty

Queen Hatshepsut was the first Pharaoh of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE) and started the Eighteenth Dynasty.
This is the same Dynasty as Tutankhamun (1332-1323 BCE).

Hateshepsut’s Temple

The Temple consists of three storeys of double colonnaded terraces, connected by long ramps, originally covered in gardens.
The Temple is aligned to the Winter Solstice.
- A lightbox permitted the winter sun to penetrate the rear wall of the chapel, illuminating the statues of the Gods.
- A second lightbox permitted the sun to penetrate a second chapel behind the first.

Land of Punt

She organised a voyage to the Land of Punt, described on the walls of her Temple at Deir el-Bahri.
The ships brought back exotic Goods, such as Elephants and Giraffes, along with trees of Frankincense and Myrrh, that were placed in gardens on the ramps of her Temple.

Senmut's Tomb

Senmut, Queen Hatshepsut’s architect, built his own Tomb which is situated next to Hatshepsut’s Temple.

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings

Himyarite Kingdom

The Himyarite Kingdom (110 BCE-525 CE) was located in modern Yemen.
Its main ports were Aden and Ocelis near the Strait of Bab el Mandeb. In c.25 BCE it invaded the neighbouring Sabaean Kingdom.

History

The Capital was at Zafar.
It was on a caravan road that linked Marib, the Capital of the Sabaean Kingdom with the Red Sea.
The Himyarite Kingdom exported Frankincense and Myrrh from Arabia.
It also traded extensively with the independent ports of East Africa, in particular, the Ivory trade.
In c.25 BCE it invaded the neighbouring Sabaean Kingdom.
Around 200 CE Qataban was invaded.
Around c. 300 CE Hadramawt was conquered.
It was finally invaded by Ethiopia in 525 CE.

Relations with Rome

In the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, Augustus records he sent two armies to Meroe and sacked Napata, and the armies were also sent to Arabia Felix, and successfully invaded up to the border of the Sabaean Kingdom as far as the city of Marib.
Strabo describes the Meroitic War as lasting 5 years between 27 to 22 BCE.

In 26-5 BC The Roman Prefect of Egypt, Aelius Gallus, took the Legions (probably the Legio III Cyrenaica) for his campaign against Arabia Felix, in modern Yemen.
During his absence, the Kushan kingdom attacked Upper Egypt.
The next Prefect of Egypt, Gaius Petronius, invaded Kush and sacked Napata in 22 BCE, ending the threat from Kush for the next three centuries.

According to Strabo, Augustus cleared the area of Pirates, and Aden had declined in importance by 1 CE. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describes the Roman Fleets from Egypt as no longer stopping at Aden, but stopping instead at Ocelis.

The Himyarite Kingdom remained on friendly terms with Rome. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea refers to its Ruler as a ‘friend of the Emperors’. In c. 25 BCE it invaded the Sabaean Kingdom, which then also became an ally of Rome. It exported Goods from East Africa and Arabia to Egypt up the Red Sea.

Zafar, Yemen

Frankincense

Frankincense, also known as Olibanum, is the resin of the Boswellia tree that grows in the Middle East, India and Africa.
It has a woody aroma that can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

Use in the Ancient World

Frankincense was used in the Ancient World as a Funerary Preparation, in Religious Festivals and for Medicinal purposes such as joint pains, arthritis and against infections.
In Ancient Egypt, Frankincense was used for embalming the dead.
Frankincense was either used as a Resin and burnt to give off its distinctive aroma, or the Resin was distilled into an oil by steaming, and used to embalm the dead or alleviate pain in patients.

The Incense Road

Frankincense was one of the key products that travelled the Incense Road along with Myrrh.
It had the same value as Gold, Silk, and Precious Gems.
It was mostly produced on either side of the Gulf of Aden, in Yemen, Oman, Somalia and Socotra.
It was harvested twice a year, then transported by Camel Caravans along an inland road in Arabia that ran parallel to the Red Sea and led to the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia.
It was also transported in merchant vessels up the Red Sea to Egypt.
The trade in Incense was dominated by the south Arabian Kingdoms such as the Sabaean Kingdom.

Harvesting the Boswellia Tree

Frankincense trees grow to a height of about 20 feet (6m).
They require a dry limestone soil and an arid climate, and get their moisture from the early morning mists.
They often grow on cliffs or rocky hillsides, making harvesting dangerous.
When the tree trunk is cut, the tree produces a protective milky white fluid, which after two weeks turns to a hardened Resin.
The trees are harvested twice a year, from January to March, and from August to October.
The Tree has a five inch notch cut in its trunk and is left for two weeks. When the harvester returns the Resin is hard and can be more easily collected. The process is then repeated over a three month period.
The longer the tree has been left to rest, the finer the Resin when harvested.

Queen Hatshepsut (c. 1479-1458 BCE)

Queen Hatsepshut, Pharaoh of Egypt between c. 1479-1458 BCE, sent a fleet of 5 ships to the Land of Punt, which returned with Myrrh and Frankincense.
This expedition was recorded on the walls of Hatshepsut’s Temple at the Deir ei-Bahari complex of Mortuary Temples.
The Land of Punt has not been confirmed but was probably Somalia, where Myrrh and Frankincense were grown.

Horn of Africa

Syracuse

Syracuse is an ancient city located on the southeastern tip of the island of Sicily, in the Region of Sicily in Italy.
It has been continuously inhabited for over 2,700 years and is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

History

Founded by the Greeks in c.734 BCE, it became the leading city of Magna Graecia (Greater Greece).
The Romans conquered it after the First Punic War (264-241 BCE), and it became the capital of the Roman Province of Sicily.
Syracuse was built on the island of Ortygia, separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. Today, this is known as the Old City.
It was the birthplace of the engineer Archimedes (287-212 BCE).
Cicero (106-43 BCE) described Syracuse as the most beautiful city in Magna Graecia.

Greek and Roman Sites

Central Archeological Park of Neapolis
- Greek Theatre
- Latomia del Paradiso quarry
- Ara di Gerone II (Altar)
Greek Temple of Apollo
Fountain of Arethusa
Greek Temple of Athena
- Parts of which are incorporated into the walls of the Cathedral of Syracuse, with the original columns standing inside.
Necropolis of Pantalica
- Located 14 miles 923km) northwest of Syracuse.
- This is a collection of 5,000 rock cut tombs dating from between the 13th-7th centuries BCE.
Roman Amphitheatre
- This is adjacent to the Archeological Park.

Museums

Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi
- Located at Viale Teocriti, 66, 96100, Syracusa.
- The museum holds Artefacts from the Roman period including:
  - The Landolina Venus
    - a Roman copy of the original by the Greek Sculptor Praxiteles (4th century BCE). Unfortunately, the head is missing.

Roman Roads

A circular perimeter road connected all the coastal cities of Sicily

Syracuse

Mons Claudianus

The Mons Claudianus was a quarry site in Roman Egypt, located in the Red Sea Mountains south of Hurghada.
The quarry produced Black and Grey Marble during the 1st to 3rd centuries CE and was run by the Roman Army.

Applications in Roman Architecture

1. Pantheon, it was used in the Columns of the Portico.
2. Temple of Venus, it was used for its floors and columns.
3. Hadrian's Villa it was used in this Palace at Tivoli.
4. Diocletian's Palace at Split it was used both in the Palace and the Public Baths.

Porphyry Mountain

The quarry was only 31 miles (50 km) away from another quarry known as Mons Porphyrites, which was the only source in the world of Porphyry.

Safaga, Egypt

Blemmyes

The Blemmyes were a nomadic Tribe from the deserts and mountains of Kush, south of Egypt.
They developed a powerful army and occupied Egypt several times between 250-280 CE, during the Crisis of the Third Century.

History

In 250 CE, the Blemmyes made their first invasion of Egypt, but they were persuaded to leave.
In 253 CE, they invaded again and reached Lower Egypt, but were defeated.
In 265 CE, the Blemmyes invaded, but were repulsed by Firmus, the Prefect of Egypt.
In 273 CE, they allied themselves with Firmus in his rebellion against the Roman Empire, and again occupied Lower Egypt.
Between 279-280 CE, the army of the Blemmyes was almost annihilated by the Generals of the Roman Emperor Probus.
However, after a further invasion, Diocletian concluded a Treaty in 298 CE, which provided an annual tribute to be paid to the Blemmyes.

Kush

Adulis

Adulis is mentioned by Pliny the Elder as a port on the Red Sea trading in Ivory, Hides and Slaves.
During the first century CE, King Zoskales ruled Adulis from Aksum, capital of the Aksumite Empire.

History

Adulis controlled the Pearl fisheries of the Dahlak Archipelago, whose pearls were famous in the Roman Empire, along with its Tortoiseshell.
As the Roman Empire declined, the Aksumite Empire took control of the Trade from India in the southern Red Sea.
The Aksumite Empire used Adulis for its base to exert its Sea Power and in 525 CE it invaded the Himyarite Kingdom from this base.

Adulis, Eritrea

Tarsus

Tarsus is an ancient port city, now located 12 miles (20km) inland on the river Berdan (Cydnus), in the Mersin Province of the Mediterranean Region of southern Turkey.
It was the capital of the Roman Province of Cilicia,

History

Tarsus has been continuously occupied for 6,000 years and still bears the same name today.
Paul the Apostle was born here.

Roman Sites

Tarsus Roman Gate (known as Cleopatra’s Gate).
Actual Roman Road
- A three mile section of Roman Road at Saglikh village is located 8.5 miles (14km) north of Tarsus.

Museums

Tarsus Museum
- Located at Muaffak Uygur Cad. 75. Yil Kultur Merkesi, Tarsus.
- The Archeology Hall holds Finds from all historical periods including a collecgtion of coins from the Greco-Roman period.

Roman Roads

Tarsus to Trabzon
- Tarsus to Caesarea. Ancyra and Trabzon via the Cilician Gates.

Tarsus