An Analysis of Two Theories Proposing Domestic Goats, Sheep, and Other Goods Were Imported into Egypt by Sea During the Neolithic Period

Abstract

Based on her work in the Sinai and an evaluation of the appearance of domestic goats and sheep at sites in northeast Africa, Angela Close has proposed a sea route connecting the Sinai and Egypt as the entry point for these animals c. 7000 BP. In an earlier work Béatrix Midant-Reynes had proposed that turquoise, copper, and glazed-steatite beads were imported into Egypt during the Badarian Period via a similar route. A review of the archaeological data suggests that the traditional land route across the northern Sinai is the most likely route connecting Egypt to the Levant for all interaction and trade during the Epipaleolithic and Neolithic Periods.

DOI:10.2458/azu_jaei_v05i2_mark