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Friday, May 24, 2024

Epigraphic finds at Berenike, Egypt

GREEK EPIGRAPHY: Letters from Roman Centurions Found in Ancient Berenike, Egypt: “I Send Them with Dromedarius, Take Care of Them” (Guillermo Carvajal, LBV).
The correspondence preserved on the papyri are letters from centurions or commanders of Roman legions. Names appear in the letters: Haosus, Lucinius, and Petronius.

In this correspondence, Petronius asks Lucinius, stationed in Berenice, about the prices of certain exclusive goods. There is also a statement: I give you the money, I send them with dromedarius (a troop of legionaries who move on dromedaries). Take care of them, so that they are provided with calves and tent poles, describes the archaeologist [Dr. Marta Osypińska].

Berenike Trogodytika was a port on the coast of the Red Sea in Ptolemaic times. It is named after Queen Berenike I (Berenice I), the wife of Ptolemy I. The latter appears under the code name "king of the south" in Daniel 11:5. I have mentioned the site here, here, here, and here.

Berenike continues to produce interesting finds, including, last year, a Roman-era Buddha statue. This year's excavation found inscribed ostraca and papyri, as well as an international assemblage of pottery and a cloak fastener.

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