We often learn about Egypt and Greece as separate civilizations, but new archaeological finds document how strong their ties really were. Greek mercenaries serving the Pharaoh and merchants trading between Greece and Egypt began to settle at the mouth of the Nile in the 26th Dynasty (664–526 BCE). They founded Naukratis, a bustling trading hub and cosmopolitan port. Join archaeologist Camille Acosta as she shares the evidence from recent fieldwork at the site, illuminating the daily lives and close connections of the city’s multicultural community.
Merchants and Mercenaries: The Archaeology of Greeks in Egypt
Talk
Reconstruction of the site of Naukratis, c. 270 BCE. Grant Cox © Naukratis project, The British Museum
About
Camille Reiko Acosta
Art Historian and Archaeologist
Camille Reiko Acosta is an assistant professor of art history and archaeology at UC Irvine, where she specializes in the archaeology of migration in the ancient Greek world and cross-cultural interactions in the Eastern Mediterranean in the first millennium BCE. She is involved in archaeological projects in Greece and Egypt and, with Ross Thomas and Alexandra Villing, has co-authored the upcoming book Naukratis: Egypt’s Cosmopolitan Port City. British Museum Excavations 2012–2019, which presents the results of recent fieldwork at the site.
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Duration
Approximately 1 hour
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