Nikanor archive
The Nikanor archive is a collection of receipts in the form of ostraka , found in Koptos, issued by a Nikanor from Koptos and his family and business partners.
The receipts written in Greek are evidence of the caravan transport of goods on camels between Koptos and Myos Hormos and Berenike . This was the route on which long-distance trade between the Roman Empire and Arabia, Africa and India was carried out. However, the receipts for the transports carried out in the order primarily list goods for everyday use (grain, wine, oil) that were needed to meet the needs of the port cities. The archive is an important source for the organization of trade in the east and south. According to the receipts and invoices, trading took place through middlemen. The sources provide evidence of Roman, Greek and Egyptian names among the wholesalers. Among them is Marcus Iulius Alexander, who was probably the brother of the Egyptian prefect Tiberius Iulius Alexander .
In addition to this trade, the Nikanor's company also supplied the soldiers stationed at water points ( hydreumata ). The documents are dated to the years 6 to 62.
Parts of the archive are now in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology in London .
literature
- Kai Ruffing : The Nikanor Archive and the Roman South and East Trade. In Münster's contributions to the ancient history of trade . 12, 2, 1993, pp. 1-26.
- Kai Ruffing: Nikanor Archive. In: The New Pauly . Volume 8: Antiquity. Mer - Op. Metzler, Stuttgart et al. 2000, ISBN 3-476-01478-9 , Sp. 904-905.