Emporium (antiquity)

Trading post of classical antiquity

An emporium refers to a trading post, factory, or market of classical antiquity, derived from the Ancient Greek: ἐμπόριον, romanized: (empórion), which becomes Latin: emporium. The plural is emporia in both languages, although in Greek the plural undergoes a semantic shift to mean 'merchandise'.[1] Emporium is a term that has also been used to describe the centres of heightened trade during the Early Middle Ages.[2]

Emporia varied greatly in their level of activity. Some seem to have functioned much like the permanent European trading colonies in China, India and Japan in the early modern period or those of the mediaeval Italian maritime republics in the Levant. Others were probably annual events for a few days or weeks like the medieval Champagne fairs or modern trade fairs.

## Examples

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Famous emporia include:

Elim, where Hatshepsut kept her Red Sea fleet;

Elat, where Thebes was supplied with mortuary materials, linen, bitumen, naphtha, frankincense, myrrh and carved stone amulets from Palestine, Canaan, Aram, Lebanon, Ammon, Hazor, Moab, Edom, Punt and the Arabian Peninsula from Petra to Midian;

Naucratis, the only Greek colony in Egypt;

Olbia, which exported cereals, fish and slaves;

and Sais, where Solon went to acquire the knowledge of Egypt.

In the Hellenic and Ptolemaic realm, emporia included the various Greek, Phoenician, Egyptian and other city-states and trading posts in the circum-Mediterranean area. Among these commercial hubs were cities like Avaris and Syene in Lower Egypt, Thebes in Upper Egypt, and Opone, Elim, Elat and other Red Sea ports. For the Hittites, it encompassed Kanesh and Kadesh. For Phoenicia, it included Cádiz, Carthage, Leptis Magna, and Cyrene, among others (although Cyrene had been founded by Greeks).

## See also

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* Emporion
* Emporium (early medieval)

## Sources

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* Valente, Marcello (2023). _elementi di razionalità economica nel commercio greco. Pisa: Edizioni ETS. ISBN 9788846766588.
* Birley, Anthony. Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. pp. 1–7.1-7&rft.aulast=Birley&rft.aufirst=Anthony&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Emporium+(antiquity)" class="Z3988">

## References

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1. ^ ἐμπόριον. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
2. ^ From one sea to another. Trading places in the European and Mediterranean Early Middle ages: Proceedings of the International Conference, Comacchio 27th-29th March 2009. 2012. p. 239.

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Phoenician cities and colonies

Algeria|

Camarata
Cartennae (Tenes)
Hippo Regius
Icosium (Algiers)
Igilgili (Jijel)
Iol (Cherchell)
Iomnium (Tigzirt)
Cirta (Constantine)
Kissi (Djinet)
Macomades
Malaca
Rachgoun
Rusazus (Azeffoun)
Rusguniae (Tamentfoust)
Rusicade (Skikda)
Rusippisir (Taksebt)
Rusubbicari (Zemmouri El Bahri)
Rusuccuru (Dellys)
Sarai (Aïn Oulmene)
Thagora (Taoura)
Tipasa in Mauretania
Tipasa in Numidia
Timici

Cyprus|

Dhali
Kition (Larnaca)
Lapathus
Marion

Greece|

Callista (Santorini)
Paxi
Rhodes
Delos

Israel|

Achzib
Akka (Acre)
Dora
Michal
Jaffa
Reshef
Shikmona (Haifa)
Strato's Tower (Caesarea)

Italy|

Bitan (Chia)
Cape Melqart (Cefalù)
Drepanum (Trapani)
Eryx (Erice)
Heraclea Minoa
Kapara (Soluntum)
Karaly (Cagliari)
Lilybaeum
Motya
Neapolis
Nora
Olbia
Pantelleria
Selinunte
Sulci (Sant'Antioco)
Tharros
Ṣiṣ (Palermo)

Lebanon|

Amia
Ampi
Arqa
Athar (Tripoli)
Baalbek
Birut (Beirut)
Botrys (Teros)
Gebal (Byblos)
Ornithon (Tell el-Burak)
Porphyreon (Jieh)
Sarepta
Sidon
Sur (Tyre), Ushu (Palaetyrus)
Umm al-Amad

Libya|

Lepcis (Khoms)
Oyat (Tripoli)
Tsabratan

Malta|

Maleth (Cospicua)
Ann (Mdina)
Gaulos (Gozo)
Għajn Qajjet
Mtarfa
Ras il-Wardija
Tas-Silġ

Morocco|

Azama (Azemmour)
Arambys (Mogador)
Caricus Murus
Heq she Elisha (Ksar es-Seghir)
Likush (Larache)
Shalat (Chellah)
Tamusida
Tinga (Tangier)
Anfa (Casablanca)
Volubilis 1
Mogador
Rusadir
Oualidia
Zilil
Gadir
Sala
Thymiaterium
Rusibis

Portugal|

Portus Hannibalis
Portus Magonis (Portimão)
Olissipona (Lisbon)
Ossonoba (Faro)
Balsa (Tavira)

Spain|

Abdera (Adra)
Abyla (Ceuta)
Akra Leuka (Alicante)
Gadir (Cadiz)
Herna
Iboshim (Ibiza)
Mahón
Malake (Málaga)
Onoba
Carthage (Cartagena)
Rushadir (Melilla)
Saguntum
Sexi (Almunecar)
Tagilit (Tíjola)
Toscanos (Velez)
Tyreche

Syria|

Arwad
Marat (Amrit)
Balanaea (Baniyas)
Carne
Paltus
Safita
Shuksi
Sumur
Ugarit

Tunisia|

Aspis (Kelibia)
Bulla Regia
Carthage
Hadrumetum (Sousse)
Hippo Diarrhytus (Bizerte)
Kerkouane
Lepcis (Monastir)
Maqom Hadesh (Ounga)
Meninx (Djerba)
Ruspe
Ruspina
Sicca (El Kef)
Tabarka
Tayinat (Thyna)
Thapsus
Thysdrus (El Djem)
Utica

Other|

Myriandus
Phoenicus
Gibraltar
Tahpanhes

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