Analysis of Western Desert and Eastern Desert

The Western and Eastern Deserts were both unique and fascinating.  In our readings there were multiple comparisons made that mainly dealt with how the land was used efficiently during the Greco-Roman times.  To my understanding the Western Desert was mainly used to receive goods from across the Red Sea and then the goods were sent to Roman and vise-versa.  The Western Desert was home to much lively activity including wineries, cult activity, trade, and a possible palace location that would have brought political and military affairs to the area.  This area also shows the possibility of great wealth since it is home to the Valley of the Golden Mummies.  It has been seen throughout the dynastic periods that elites constructed tombs that were distant from their true area of power and in dry areas that preserved all burial remains, but was this also true for these elites?  The remains from houses in the area suggested a diverse community that included written text in Greek, Coptic, and Syriac.  Along with the discovery of this widely diverse group of people was the “East Churches” which is believed to include churches of both Christian domination and a eastern religion.  The foreign influence on the nation continued to grow and is evident in the Eastern Desert. The Eastern Desert also had a widely diverse group of people, but they had to overcome the more harsh and mountainous region. In addition to that difference from the western Desert, the Eastern Desert was home to more military activity and trade.  Much trade occurred across the Red Sea and therefore the need for security was necessary.  Unlike in earlier dynasties, the Greco-Roman period had permanently settled ports which allowed the area to prosper.  A major problem of this area was receiving freshwater.  I found it quite interesting that they dug large wells to solve this problem, and it was very effective.  The mining of gold and quartz also allowed the area to take on a more exotic trade of goods with foreign countries.  It is odd to think that these desert regions were able to create such wealth for themselves when there were so many troubles that they first had to overcome.  The technology of the Greeks seems to have been a good influence for the country and helped it advance above neighboring countries.

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