Emporia (ancient Greece)

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An Emporia was a place which the traders of one nation had reserved to their business interests within the territory of another nation. Famous emporia include Sais where Solon went to acquire the knowledge of Egypt, Elim where Hatshepsut kept her Red Sea fleet. Elat, where Thebes was supplied with the mortuary materials, Linen, Bitumen, Naphtha, Frankincense, Myrrh, and carved stone amululets from Palestine, Canaan, Aram, Lebanon, Amon, Hazor, Moab, Edom and the Arabian Peninsula from the Arabia Petra to Midian and Punt.

Emporia functioned much like European trading colonies in China.

In ancient Greek it refers both to the various Greek and Phoenician city-states and trade outposts in Egypt, Northern Africa, Spain, Britain, and the Arabian peninsula. Included in this term are cities like Avaris and Syene in lower Egypt and in upper Egypt Thebes Red Sea Port of Elim and Elat at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba between Edom and Midian. For the Hittites it included Kanesh and Kadesh on the border of Lebanon, Syria and Canaan and for Phoenicia it includes Gadges, Carthage, Lepcis Magna, and Cyrene among others (although Cyrene was founded by Greeks).

Emporia is also a Latin plural noun meaning places of trade, markets, etc. Emboria is the ability to trade, or the procces of doing trade.

[edit] References

• Septimius Severus; The African Emperor, Anthony R. Birley, pgs. 1-7