At Empire's Edge: Exploring Rome's Egyptian Frontier by Robert B. JacksonReview by: Willeke WendrichJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 122, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 2002), pp. 894-895Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3217658 .

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Journal of the American Oriental Society 122.4 (2002) Journal of the American Oriental Society 122.4 (2002)

MB IIA is informative and also very well illustrated. Numerous

maps plot the changing distribution over time of sites in gen- eral, of settlements with and without cemeteries, and of fortified towns. One of her most interesting conclusions is that cemeter- ies without associated habitation (often thought typical of semi- nomadic settlement patterns) are generally dated to the last two

phases in her chronology. This is in opposition to traditional

views, which hold that pastoral activity largely gave way to in-

creasing urbanism as MB IIA wore on. With almost all of these

late, isolated cemeteries located in the hill country, it is tempt- ing to draw the conclusion that the peoples who moved to this area of Canaan did so expressly in reaction to events taking place in the lowlands.

While she focuses much more upon urbanization than upon increasing nomadization in the hills, Cohen is inclined to view almost all of Canaan's evolving settlement system as a marked

response to the establishment of fortified coastal towns like

Aphek and Ifshar. Of all of the possible theoretical approaches that she considers for application in her second chapter, she en- dorses the "port power" model of L. Stager. Stager and Cohen

argue that interests of commerce led to the development of a dendritic settlement system in Canaan, whereby the most pow- erful polities were located on harbors. Other towns-often con- nected via lateral wadi systems to the port cities-evolved in order to help funnel resources toward these centers.

Although this may indeed be a viable reconstruction of the situation in MB IIA Palestine, Cohen never mentions that these sites are also all located along the Via Maris, which was a route well trod in antiquity. Further, judging from the almost routine notation of armies departing for and returning from Palestine in Amenemhet II's Mit Rahina inscription, this route may have been

especially well frequented by Egyptians. If the lowland sites were indeed subject to Egyptian interference, many Canaanites

may eventually have headed for the hill country. Certainly this is what happened in the Late Bronze Age.

In her review of the interactions between Canaan and Egypt in the Middle Kingdom, Cohen concludes that Egypt did not have an Asiatic empire, but left Canaan alone so long as its in- habitants did not interfere with Egyptian state interests. Signifi- cantly, Cohen compares this attitude with that of the later Amarna

Age. In the Eighteenth Dynasty, however, Egypt did indeed have an empire. Further, it is remarkable exactly how little archaeo-

logical evidence attests to its existence. The example of Egypt's LB I-LB IIA empire, I believe, should serve as a cautionary tale to those who dismiss the possibility of strong Egyptian interest in MB IIA Canaan on the basis of the material record alone.

In general, this volume is extremely useful, though the dis- cussion of chronology is somewhat cursory and incomplete. The implications of recent important work relevant to Egyptian chronology by scholars like I. Luft and J. Wegner, for example, are not addressed. Likewise, Cohen often correlates Egyptian texts with her ceramic phases impressionistically. In the end,

MB IIA is informative and also very well illustrated. Numerous

maps plot the changing distribution over time of sites in gen- eral, of settlements with and without cemeteries, and of fortified towns. One of her most interesting conclusions is that cemeter- ies without associated habitation (often thought typical of semi- nomadic settlement patterns) are generally dated to the last two

phases in her chronology. This is in opposition to traditional

views, which hold that pastoral activity largely gave way to in-

creasing urbanism as MB IIA wore on. With almost all of these

late, isolated cemeteries located in the hill country, it is tempt- ing to draw the conclusion that the peoples who moved to this area of Canaan did so expressly in reaction to events taking place in the lowlands.

While she focuses much more upon urbanization than upon increasing nomadization in the hills, Cohen is inclined to view almost all of Canaan's evolving settlement system as a marked

response to the establishment of fortified coastal towns like

Aphek and Ifshar. Of all of the possible theoretical approaches that she considers for application in her second chapter, she en- dorses the "port power" model of L. Stager. Stager and Cohen

argue that interests of commerce led to the development of a dendritic settlement system in Canaan, whereby the most pow- erful polities were located on harbors. Other towns-often con- nected via lateral wadi systems to the port cities-evolved in order to help funnel resources toward these centers.

Although this may indeed be a viable reconstruction of the situation in MB IIA Palestine, Cohen never mentions that these sites are also all located along the Via Maris, which was a route well trod in antiquity. Further, judging from the almost routine notation of armies departing for and returning from Palestine in Amenemhet II's Mit Rahina inscription, this route may have been

especially well frequented by Egyptians. If the lowland sites were indeed subject to Egyptian interference, many Canaanites

may eventually have headed for the hill country. Certainly this is what happened in the Late Bronze Age.

In her review of the interactions between Canaan and Egypt in the Middle Kingdom, Cohen concludes that Egypt did not have an Asiatic empire, but left Canaan alone so long as its in- habitants did not interfere with Egyptian state interests. Signifi- cantly, Cohen compares this attitude with that of the later Amarna

Age. In the Eighteenth Dynasty, however, Egypt did indeed have an empire. Further, it is remarkable exactly how little archaeo-

logical evidence attests to its existence. The example of Egypt's LB I-LB IIA empire, I believe, should serve as a cautionary tale to those who dismiss the possibility of strong Egyptian interest in MB IIA Canaan on the basis of the material record alone.

In general, this volume is extremely useful, though the dis- cussion of chronology is somewhat cursory and incomplete. The implications of recent important work relevant to Egyptian chronology by scholars like I. Luft and J. Wegner, for example, are not addressed. Likewise, Cohen often correlates Egyptian texts with her ceramic phases impressionistically. In the end,

Cohen's endorsement of the short and high chronology, while

undoubtedly important, is unlikely to settle debate.

ELLEN MORRIS UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

At Empire's Edge: Exploring Rome's Egyptian Frontier. By ROBERT B. JACKSON. New Haven: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2002. Pp. xxiv + 350, illus. $37.50.

Egypt is for the largest part desert and throughout history hu- mankind has penetrated deep into the region beyond the narrow

strip of the fertile Nile Valley, seeking opportunities and explor- ing the unknown. Knowing the desert is realizing that it is not an empty land, but one with a long history, many traces of hu- man activity, and its own population that has adapted to the harsh demands of an arid environment. Robert Jackson has writ- ten a charming, information-packed, easily readable volume on three desert areas of Egypt which have been neglected for a long time: the Eastern Desert, the Upper Egyptian Nile Valley, and the Western Desert. In recent years a wealth of information has become available, because several archaeological expeditions are working in the desert areas. Some of these publish promptly, while others do not, and it is Jackson's contribution to have hunted down the latest results by visiting ongoing excavations,

talking to researchers and reading whatever he could find pub- lished on the three desert areas. Scientific publications give a

great deal of detail and a well-founded interpretation, but they necessarily concentrate on particular areas and subjects. It is, therefore, extremely useful to have an overview of past and re- cent archaeological work, written by a traveler who has been

there, incorporated information from the excavators and survey- ors, and taken the time to look at the landscape and experience the distances. Jackson travels the desert the slow, intense way, on foot, and uses his experience to understand the landscape and the way the Romans moved, explored, and made use of the desert.

Although the book gives the approximate location of desert sites and boasts many maps on which all areas mentioned in the text are pinpointed, it is a relief to notice that the exact geo- graphical locations are not listed. Even though the author prob- ably used a Global Positioning System to navigate the desert, he refrained from publishing the exact coordinates. This is an excellent and responsible decision, because such information would result in an increase in desert travel that cannot but dam-

age the vulnerable ancient sites. Even if visitors are truly inter- ested and well meaning, even if they decide against holding barbecues in Middle Kingdom temples, motor races over Greco-

Cohen's endorsement of the short and high chronology, while

undoubtedly important, is unlikely to settle debate.

ELLEN MORRIS UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

At Empire's Edge: Exploring Rome's Egyptian Frontier. By ROBERT B. JACKSON. New Haven: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2002. Pp. xxiv + 350, illus. $37.50.

Egypt is for the largest part desert and throughout history hu- mankind has penetrated deep into the region beyond the narrow

strip of the fertile Nile Valley, seeking opportunities and explor- ing the unknown. Knowing the desert is realizing that it is not an empty land, but one with a long history, many traces of hu- man activity, and its own population that has adapted to the harsh demands of an arid environment. Robert Jackson has writ- ten a charming, information-packed, easily readable volume on three desert areas of Egypt which have been neglected for a long time: the Eastern Desert, the Upper Egyptian Nile Valley, and the Western Desert. In recent years a wealth of information has become available, because several archaeological expeditions are working in the desert areas. Some of these publish promptly, while others do not, and it is Jackson's contribution to have hunted down the latest results by visiting ongoing excavations,

talking to researchers and reading whatever he could find pub- lished on the three desert areas. Scientific publications give a

great deal of detail and a well-founded interpretation, but they necessarily concentrate on particular areas and subjects. It is, therefore, extremely useful to have an overview of past and re- cent archaeological work, written by a traveler who has been

there, incorporated information from the excavators and survey- ors, and taken the time to look at the landscape and experience the distances. Jackson travels the desert the slow, intense way, on foot, and uses his experience to understand the landscape and the way the Romans moved, explored, and made use of the desert.

Although the book gives the approximate location of desert sites and boasts many maps on which all areas mentioned in the text are pinpointed, it is a relief to notice that the exact geo- graphical locations are not listed. Even though the author prob- ably used a Global Positioning System to navigate the desert, he refrained from publishing the exact coordinates. This is an excellent and responsible decision, because such information would result in an increase in desert travel that cannot but dam-

age the vulnerable ancient sites. Even if visitors are truly inter- ested and well meaning, even if they decide against holding barbecues in Middle Kingdom temples, motor races over Greco-

894 894

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 19:14:40 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Reviews of Books Reviews of Books

Roman mud-brick villages, and other popular weekend activi-

ties, even the pressure of people passing by presents a threat to

antiquities that have been preserved for over two millennia. The first part of the book concentrates on the Eastern Desert.

In 104 pages the main Roman installations, such as the quarry settlements and desert routes to the ancient Red Sea harbors are discussed. Starting from the desert settlements, an introduction is given to the use of Egyptian stone in the Roman empire, as well as Rome's long-distance trade with Africa, Arabia, and the Indian Ocean basin. In clear, concise chapters the archaeologi- cal and historical evidence is cleverly interwoven into an excel- lent overview of the area and the period. The second part of the book focuses on the Upper Nile Valley. Since the 1960s the an- cient sites in Egyptian Nubia have been covered by the waters of Lake Nasser in the wake of the building of the Aswan High Dam. An intense campaign of archaeological and anthropological research has produced many volumes reporting on the excava- tions and survey results. This section, which is only twenty-five pages long, is slightly disappointing. So much more information could have been made available; the interest of the area certainly merits more attention. The brevity should probably be attributed to the fact that most of Egyptian Nubia has disappeared beneath the lake surface, which cuts off the possibility of visiting most of the sites. It is specifically Jackson's own visits to the areas he describes that form the backbone of the book. The third part, on the oases and trade routes of the Western Desert, is of approxi- mately the same length as the first part. Although it is clear that the author traveled through this part of Egypt as well, his de-

scriptions seem to show slightly less affinity with the Western than with the Eastern Desert.

The reader of this book should not expect a scholarly synthe- sis or an account of original research by the author. Instead, Em-

pire's Edge presents a descriptive, well-illustrated, overview of an enormous field of study. This is at the same time the book's

strength and weakness. Other than the well-written descrip- tions, the book has no theme, no idea, no driving force. The reader may find that his interest and fascination is at times wan-

ing when yet another small site is introduced with just a couple of lines. The book has no final chapter and no conclusion. It just finishes suddenly with a three-line description of the salt lake of Sitra (p. 260): "Lying 16 kilometers further east of the Nu- wamisah along the Darb el-Siwa, Sitra contains the largest salt lake in the region. Although it also possesses an escarpment on its northern side, researchers have yet to discover evidence of caves or tombs in the area." Thus the book ends with a piece of

non-information, rather than a thoroughly composed finale. Because Jackson draws heavily on recent excavation data, his

book is very up to date. Nevertheless, ongoing expeditions have

produced results which have partly altered fundamental infor-

mation, even during the period the book has been in press. The Roman remains at Quseir el-Qadim, for instance, have now been identified with certainty as the ancient harbor of Myos Hormos,

Roman mud-brick villages, and other popular weekend activi-

ties, even the pressure of people passing by presents a threat to

antiquities that have been preserved for over two millennia. The first part of the book concentrates on the Eastern Desert.

In 104 pages the main Roman installations, such as the quarry settlements and desert routes to the ancient Red Sea harbors are discussed. Starting from the desert settlements, an introduction is given to the use of Egyptian stone in the Roman empire, as well as Rome's long-distance trade with Africa, Arabia, and the Indian Ocean basin. In clear, concise chapters the archaeologi- cal and historical evidence is cleverly interwoven into an excel- lent overview of the area and the period. The second part of the book focuses on the Upper Nile Valley. Since the 1960s the an- cient sites in Egyptian Nubia have been covered by the waters of Lake Nasser in the wake of the building of the Aswan High Dam. An intense campaign of archaeological and anthropological research has produced many volumes reporting on the excava- tions and survey results. This section, which is only twenty-five pages long, is slightly disappointing. So much more information could have been made available; the interest of the area certainly merits more attention. The brevity should probably be attributed to the fact that most of Egyptian Nubia has disappeared beneath the lake surface, which cuts off the possibility of visiting most of the sites. It is specifically Jackson's own visits to the areas he describes that form the backbone of the book. The third part, on the oases and trade routes of the Western Desert, is of approxi- mately the same length as the first part. Although it is clear that the author traveled through this part of Egypt as well, his de-

scriptions seem to show slightly less affinity with the Western than with the Eastern Desert.

The reader of this book should not expect a scholarly synthe- sis or an account of original research by the author. Instead, Em-

pire's Edge presents a descriptive, well-illustrated, overview of an enormous field of study. This is at the same time the book's

strength and weakness. Other than the well-written descrip- tions, the book has no theme, no idea, no driving force. The reader may find that his interest and fascination is at times wan-

ing when yet another small site is introduced with just a couple of lines. The book has no final chapter and no conclusion. It just finishes suddenly with a three-line description of the salt lake of Sitra (p. 260): "Lying 16 kilometers further east of the Nu- wamisah along the Darb el-Siwa, Sitra contains the largest salt lake in the region. Although it also possesses an escarpment on its northern side, researchers have yet to discover evidence of caves or tombs in the area." Thus the book ends with a piece of

non-information, rather than a thoroughly composed finale. Because Jackson draws heavily on recent excavation data, his

book is very up to date. Nevertheless, ongoing expeditions have

produced results which have partly altered fundamental infor-

mation, even during the period the book has been in press. The Roman remains at Quseir el-Qadim, for instance, have now been identified with certainty as the ancient harbor of Myos Hormos,

rather than Leukos Limen. Jackson realizes that his work never

ends, as he announces repeatedly, for instance when discussing Ain Umm Dabadib, that recently started excavations will only produce answers after his work has been published. Since this useful book hopefully will go through many future editions, the author should have the opportunity to keep incorporating the lat- est results.

WILLEKE WENDRICH UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

Correspondence and Dialogue: Pragmatic Factors in Late Ramesside Letter-Writing. By DEBORAH SWEENEY. Agypten und Altes Testament, vol. 49. Wiesbaden: HARRASSOWITZ

VERLAG, 2001. Pp. v + 327. DM 158 (paper).

Although it might take considerable time and effort to recon- struct how conversational ancient Egyptian sounded at any given period, considerable progress has been made in analyzing the

grammatical and syntactical structure of Egyptian dialogue. In her volume Dr. Sweeney provides an exhaustive treatment of the

interchange between writer/speaker and addressee in late New

Kingdom letters, contemporary judicial documents, and the Re-

port of Wenamun. In letters the immediacy of the interaction is, of course, compromised by the fact that there exists a time lag between utterance and response, whereas in the judicial papyri and Wenamun the recorded exchanges reflect greater immediacy. Nonetheless, a degree of skepticism is in order, since in record-

ing the depositions of thieves responding to the authorities' ques- tions, some sort of editing was inevitable, if only because of the absence of tape recorders or short-hand stenographers.

For her organizational framework, Sweeney makes use of so-

ciolinguistics, whose principles derive mainly from research into

spoken dialogue. Some studies have examined aspects of corre-

spondence, though one might query just how broadly researched such investigations into letter-writing have been. Sociolinguis- tics appears to be undergoing constant refinement, and Sweeney usually makes it clear which principles she follows as she covers such topics as requests, questions and replies, information, com-

plaints, and courtesy in a series of lengthy chapters. While sociolinguistics has surely influenced Sweeney's over-

all thinking about letter-writing, it is not always apparent how the Egyptian evidence relates to the sociolinguistic precondi- tions and variables enunciated at the beginning of most of the

chapters, or to what extent such principles refine the interpretation of the many passages that are cited. Sociolinguistics, it seems, has served more as a means of organizing the material rather than as a significant tool for perfecting translations. Sweeney's

rather than Leukos Limen. Jackson realizes that his work never

ends, as he announces repeatedly, for instance when discussing Ain Umm Dabadib, that recently started excavations will only produce answers after his work has been published. Since this useful book hopefully will go through many future editions, the author should have the opportunity to keep incorporating the lat- est results.

WILLEKE WENDRICH UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

Correspondence and Dialogue: Pragmatic Factors in Late Ramesside Letter-Writing. By DEBORAH SWEENEY. Agypten und Altes Testament, vol. 49. Wiesbaden: HARRASSOWITZ

VERLAG, 2001. Pp. v + 327. DM 158 (paper).

Although it might take considerable time and effort to recon- struct how conversational ancient Egyptian sounded at any given period, considerable progress has been made in analyzing the

grammatical and syntactical structure of Egyptian dialogue. In her volume Dr. Sweeney provides an exhaustive treatment of the

interchange between writer/speaker and addressee in late New

Kingdom letters, contemporary judicial documents, and the Re-

port of Wenamun. In letters the immediacy of the interaction is, of course, compromised by the fact that there exists a time lag between utterance and response, whereas in the judicial papyri and Wenamun the recorded exchanges reflect greater immediacy. Nonetheless, a degree of skepticism is in order, since in record-

ing the depositions of thieves responding to the authorities' ques- tions, some sort of editing was inevitable, if only because of the absence of tape recorders or short-hand stenographers.

For her organizational framework, Sweeney makes use of so-

ciolinguistics, whose principles derive mainly from research into

spoken dialogue. Some studies have examined aspects of corre-

spondence, though one might query just how broadly researched such investigations into letter-writing have been. Sociolinguis- tics appears to be undergoing constant refinement, and Sweeney usually makes it clear which principles she follows as she covers such topics as requests, questions and replies, information, com-

plaints, and courtesy in a series of lengthy chapters. While sociolinguistics has surely influenced Sweeney's over-

all thinking about letter-writing, it is not always apparent how the Egyptian evidence relates to the sociolinguistic precondi- tions and variables enunciated at the beginning of most of the

chapters, or to what extent such principles refine the interpretation of the many passages that are cited. Sociolinguistics, it seems, has served more as a means of organizing the material rather than as a significant tool for perfecting translations. Sweeney's

895 895

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.174 on Fri, 13 Jun 2014 19:14:40 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions