Bronze Age World

Reading ancient testimony

Ask who produced the document, for whom, and for what purpose. Distinguish its ancient creation from its modern edition or translation. Survival and excavation shape what can be read today.

Use the linked edition and reliability notes for the author, audience, transmission and limits of this particular source. Missing information is not an assurance of neutrality.

Document and modern access

Type: journal article and isotope dataset
Publication: eLife, vol. 9, e60860

Open DOI or stable record (opens in a new tab)

Records informed by this source

date assertion Horn of Africa coastal corridors — date assertion
informs · contextualizes · Results and source-zone map
Supports broad southern Red Sea connections, not a site-level route.
property assignment Afar and Danakil lowlands — has property — Sparse or uneven fieldwork
Evidence confidence: very high
informs · contextualizes · Broad source-zone modeling
Shows geographic relevance without site-level resolution.
entity Horn of Africa coastal corridors
Evidence confidence: low
informs · contextualizes · Results and source-zone map
Supports broad southern Red Sea connections, not a site-level route.
claim The package cannot defend fixed route lines for an incense route, Punt voyage, Gulf copper export or western Indian Ocean corridor during 1600–800 BCE.
Evidence confidence: high
informs · critiques interpretation · Broad source-zone limitations
Isotopes do not identify itinerary.
ranked model model_punt_yemen_only_rank4
Evidence confidence: very low
informs · critiques interpretation · Broad source-zone limits
Yemen is not excluded but cannot be isolated as the sole source.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides archaeological observation · Mummy samples, isotope results and source-zone model
Provides direct biological transfer evidence and broad geographic constraints.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides archaeological observation · Mummy samples, isotope results and source-zone model
Provides direct biological transfer evidence and broad geographic constraints.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides archaeological observation · Mummy samples, isotope results and source-zone model
Provides direct biological transfer evidence and broad geographic constraints.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides archaeological observation · Mummy samples, isotope results and source-zone model
Provides direct biological transfer evidence and broad geographic constraints.
date assertion Bab el-Mandeb and southern Red Sea interaction zone — date assertion
informs · supports distribution · Results; isotopic source-zone classification
Supports a broad southern Red Sea source zone.
date assertion Afar and Danakil lowlands — date assertion
informs · supports distribution · Fig. 3 and Results; broad source-zone modeling
Includes portions of the Afar-Horn region in an isotopic source zone without locating a polity.
date assertion Punt — date assertion
informs · supports distribution · Results and broad source-zone map
Constrains one imported animal source without fixing Punt.
date assertion Southern Red Sea interaction network — date assertion
informs · supports distribution · Results and source-zone map
Supports south Red Sea biological transfer.
ranked model model_punt_southern_red_sea_network_rank1
Evidence confidence: moderate
informs · supports distribution · Source-zone results
Supports a broad southern Red Sea zone.
ranked model model_punt_horn_core_rank2
Evidence confidence: moderate
informs · supports distribution · Results and source-zone map
Supports a broad Horn-centered possibility.
date assertion New Kingdom import of baboons from a southern Red Sea source zone — date assertion
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · provides archaeological observation · Mummy samples, isotope results and source-zone model
Provides direct biological transfer evidence and broad geographic constraints.
claim Isotopic provenancing places some New Kingdom baboons within a broad southern Red Sea source zone that can include parts of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen, not o…
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides archaeological observation · Results, source-zone classification and limitations
Provides the scientific provenance evidence.
event New Kingdom import of baboons from a southern Red Sea source zone
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides archaeological observation · Mummy samples, isotope results and source-zone model
Provides direct biological transfer evidence and broad geographic constraints.
property assignment Southern Red Sea interaction network — has property — Network, not bounded state
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Results
Supports transfer across a broad zone.
property assignment Southern Red Sea interaction network — has property — Maritime exchange evidence
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Results
Provides transfer evidence.
property Maritime exchange evidence
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Results and source-zone map
Provides biological transfer evidence with broad geographic uncertainty.
entity Afar and Danakil lowlands
Evidence confidence: low
supports · supports distribution · Fig. 3 and Results; broad source-zone modeling
Includes portions of the Afar-Horn region in an isotopic source zone without locating a polity.
entity Bab el-Mandeb and southern Red Sea interaction zone
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · supports distribution · Results; isotopic source-zone classification
Supports a broad southern Red Sea source zone.
entity Punt
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · supports distribution · Results and broad source-zone map
Constrains one imported animal source without fixing Punt.
entity Southern Red Sea interaction network
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · supports distribution · Results and source-zone map
Supports south Red Sea biological transfer.
property assignment Punt — has property — Network, not bounded state
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Results and source-zone map
Constrains a broad zone without a border.
claim Punt is securely attested as an Egyptian destination name but cannot presently be represented as one fixed, continuously bounded state for 1600–800 BCE.
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Isotope source-zone results
Provides a broad geographic constraint.
causal hypothesis Southern Red Sea interaction was multi-directional and socially negotiated
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · supports distribution · Source-zone results
Provides biological transfer evidence.
property Network, not bounded state
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Broad isotope source zone
Supports a broad region rather than a bounded state.
claim South Arabian-Horn interaction is best reconstructed as multi-directional and socially negotiated, involving local African inland systems as well as cross-sea movement.
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Isotopic source-zone results
Provides biological transfer evidence.
claim Modern Yemen, Oman, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and neighbouring states are search frames and locators only, not ancient territories in this release.
Evidence confidence: near certain
supports · supports distribution · Source zone spanning multiple modern states
Provides a transboundary scientific example.
claim The currently consulted evidence is insufficient for a securely dated 1600–800 BCE Afar-Danakil settlement sequence, polity, port or distribution polygon.
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Broad southern Red Sea source zone
Shows relevance without site-level resolution.
relationship Southern Red Sea interaction network — located or analytically grouped within — Bab el-Mandeb and southern Red Sea interaction zone
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · supports distribution · Results and source-zone map
Supports south Red Sea biological transfer.
relationship New Kingdom import of baboons from a southern Red Sea source zone — biological transfer evidence for — Southern Red Sea interaction network
Evidence confidence: high
supports · supports distribution · Results and source-zone map
Provides the transfer evidence.