While traded goods are routinely identified in Nubian archaeology, there have been no comprehensive discussions of economic exchange (“trade”) in ancient and medieval Nubian societies. This chapter introduces some broader perspectives on ancient economies, including Polanyi’s modes of distribution (reciprocity, redistribution, and market exchange), to highlight research questions that Nubian archaeology might begin to ask. The chapter summarizes evidence for routes and modes of transportation, makes some preliminary observations on the history of economic structures in Nubia, and presents more detailed evidence for trade between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea in the Meroitic Period
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.