Arsinoe (Egyptian port)
Arsinoe was an important ancient Egyptian port located at the northern end of the Sinus Heroopoliticus (Gulf of Suez). Established by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who ruled from 283 to 246 BC, it was named in honor of his sister and wife, Arsinoe II. The port served as the capital of the Heroopolite nome (district) and was strategically connected to the Pelusiac arm of the Nile delta by a canal, enhancing its significance for trade and transportation. Despite challenges posed by shoals and undesirable winds, Arsinoe emerged as one of Egypt's principal harbors.
During the reign of Cleopatra VII, from 51 to 30 BC, the port briefly adopted the name Cleopatris, reflecting its evolving significance during this historical period. Nearby, the Roman Emperor Trajan established a garrison at Clysma, linked to a new canal that facilitated movement from the Nile delta. The port's historical context highlights its role in the broader narratives of trade, military strategy, and political power in ancient Egypt and the surrounding regions.
Subject Terms
Arsinoe (Egyptian port)
(Ardsherud)
An Egyptian port at the northern end of the Sinus Heroopoliticus (Gulf of Suez), established by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (283–246 BC), son of the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, who gave it the name of his late sister and wife Arsinoe II Philadelphus (d. 270). Capital of the Heroopolite nome (district), the town was the terminal point of a canal leading from the Pelusiac arm of the Nile delta, and was also connected by road to Aila (Aelana, now Akaba), at the head of the Gulf of Akaba (or Elat). Despite shoals and east winds, it became one of the principal harbors of Egypt.
During the reign of Cleopatra VII (51–30), ruling under the protection of her Roman lover Antony, the place, as we know from Strabo, temporarily assumed the new name of Cleopatris. A little to its west, Trajan (AD 98–117) established a garrison in Clysma, at the end of a new canal leading from Babylon (Baboul) at the southern apex of the Nile delta.