 | |
  Shown within Egypt | |
| Location | Al-Qusayr,Red Sea Governorate,Egypt |
|---|---|
| Region | Upper Egypt |
| Coordinates | 26°9′24″N34°14′30″E / 26.15667°N 34.24167°E /26.15667; 34.24167 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Ptolemaic dynasty |
| Founded | 3rd century BC |
| Abandoned | After the 4th century AD |
| Periods | Ptolemaic Kingdom toRoman Empire |
Myos Hormos (Ancient Greek:Μυὸς Ὅρμος) was aRed Sea port founded by thePtolemy II Philadelphus upon a headland of similar name, around the 3rd century BC.[1] Later, it was renamed toAphrodites Hormos (Ancient Greek:Ἀφροδίτης ὅρμος) but the elder appellation is more generally retained.[1]
Following excavations carried out recently by David Peacock andLucy Blue of the University of Southampton, it is thought to have been located on the present-day site of Quseir al-Quadim (old Quseir), eight kilometres north of the modern town ofEl Qoseir in Egypt.[2]
The Myos Hormos may mean the "Harbour of the Mouse", but most probably meant the "Harbour of theMussel" (μύειν, to close, e.g. the shell), since on the neighbouring coast the pearl mussel was collected in large quantities.[1][3]
Also, it seems to have obtained the name ofAphrodite (technically meaningfoam of the sea), from the abundance of sea-sponge found in its bay.[1]
Ptolemy II Philadelphus selected it for the principal harbour of the trade with India, in preference toArsinoe, since Arsinoe was at the head of theRed Sea and there was a tedious and difficult navigation down theHeroopolite Gulf. Vessels from Myos Hormos traded with Africa, Arabia, and India.[1]
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| ṯꜣꜥw[4][5] inhieroglyphs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Era:Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 BC) | ||||||
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| dwꜣw[6] inhieroglyphs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Era:Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BC) | ||
After the Ptolemies, it was withBerenice (further south on theRed Sea coast) one of the two main ports inRoman Egypt for trade withIndia,Africa and probablyChina.[7]
Some of its main destinations were theIndus delta,Muziris and theKathiawar peninsula inIndia. The coastal trade from Myos Hormos and Berenice along the coast of theIndian Ocean is described in the anonymous 1st century AD handbookPeriplus of the Erythraean Sea.
first comes Egypt's port of Myos Hormos, and beyond it, after a sail of 1800 stades to the right,Berenice. The ports of both are bays on the Red Sea on the edge of Egypt.[8]
It was one of the maintrading centers on theRed Sea.[9]
According toStrabo (II.5.12), by the time ofAugustus, up to 120 ships were setting sail every year from Myos Hormos to India:
At any rate, whenGallus was prefect of Egypt, I accompanied him and ascended theNile as far asSyene and the frontiers ofEthiopia, and I learned that as many as one hundred and twenty vessels were sailing from Myos Hormos to India, whereas formerly, under thePtolemies, only a very few ventured to undertake the voyage and to carry on traffic in Indian merchandise.
— Strabo II.5.12.[1]
The port of Myos Hormos was connected to the Nile valley andMemphis by a Roman road, built in the 1st century.
After the 4th century the port was abandoned, because of theRoman Empire crisis and the end of the trade betweenRome and India.
Only in the 17th century the port started to regain some importance, mainly because of holy travel fromCairo toMecca. Myos Hormos is now the city of old Qusair.[10]
