Egyptian cultural impact on north-west Arabia in the second and first millennia BC

Abstract

Recent epigraphic evidence attesting the presence of the administration of Ramesses III in north-west Arabia confirmed Egypt's political and economic interest in that region. Cultural contacts between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula in general are indicated by artefacts found in graves and settlement layers at different sites of the peninsula. In particular, the excavations in the oasis of Taymāʾ 3 have revealed a large amount of Egyptian and Egyptian-style artefacts. The purpose of the Egyptian presence in north-west Arabia is likely to be economically motivated, prospecting for mineral deposits and aromatics. The Egyptian evidence in north-west Arabia will be discussed in diachronic perspective with reference to its archaeological and historical contexts.