| Importance |
Egypt was a self sufficient country in the ancient world
Trade was an auxilliary economic activity, constisting of sporadic expeditions set up by Pharaohs for the
purpose of exchanging luxury goods and commodities.
One of the most famous trade expeditions in Ancient Egypt was Queen Hatshepsut's expedition to Punt.
Ancient Egyptians did not travel often, because they had fear of dying in a foreign country and getting an improper burial
The Ptolemaic Period saw a booming in trading activities and Alexandria
became a world trade center
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The necessity of importing wheat forced the Greek world to engage in large scale maritime trade
Greeks were skilled sailors and traders
| Trade Partners |
Egyptians set up trade routes to Greece, Palestine, Punt, and Nubia |
The areas which provisioned Greece with wheat were Cyrenaica, Egypt, Italy, and regions surrounding the Black Sea.
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| Patron god |
Due to the minor importance of trade in Egypt, there was no patron associated wih this activity from the nearly 2000 Egyptian gods
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Mercury (Hermes) the son of Zeus and Maia, was god of commerce,
Soldiers wore armour made from overlapping iron bands and a metal helmets
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| Imports |
Commodity items such as leopard skins, giraffe tails, monkeys, cattle, ivory, ostrich feathers
Cedar wood from Lebanon since Egyptian trees were rare and did not produce good lumber.
Luxury items such as Minoan oil containers came from the Aegean.
Precious stones such as lapis lazuli, were imported from Asia and Afghanistan.
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Essential food such as wheat and flour
Other imported products included papyrus, spices, fabrics, metals, and wood
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| Exports |
Essential items such as food and papyrus sheets
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Commodity items such as Pottery, olives, and wine.
Individual city-states became known for certain products
Athens - decorated pottery
Corinth - jewelry and metal crafts |
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