Berenike Trogodytika was one of the cities founded by Ptolemy II in the early third century BC as a trans-shipment point for importing East African elephants for the Hellenistic Egyptian army. Our archaeological research at the site has resulted in the analysis of 9498 animal remains and 8644 mollusc shells that revealed the environmental conditions of the Hellenistic port and fortress and some changes in the residents’ food economy and diet. The diet of the Berenike garrison in the first period of operation (about the first half of the third century BC) was based on grains and marine fauna—fish and molluscs, with sheep and goats as supplementary sources of meat. In the “fort” area, remains of animals imported from the Nile Valley, namely cattle and pigs, appeared only sporadically. In the second half of the century, the importance of local products in the diet decreased. Instead, large cattle and very large and stout goats became the sources of the inhabitants’ meat consumption. This shift demonstrates that Hellenistic Berenike was linked to well-organized food supply networks, especially with places that had a well-developed animal breeding economy. This article discusses the archaeological evidence of this shift in meat consumption and the implications for livestock economy in Hellenistic Berenike.

中文翻译：

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Berenike 的畜牧经济，红海的希腊化城市（埃及）

Berenike Trogodytika 是托勒密二世在公元前三世纪初建立的城市之一，作为希腊化埃及军队进口东非大象的转运点。我们在该遗址的考古研究分析了 9498 件动物遗骸和 8644 件软体动物贝壳，揭示了希腊化港口和堡垒的环境条件以及居民饮食经济和饮食的一些变化。贝雷尼克驻军在第一次作战时期（大约公元前三世纪上半叶）的饮食以谷物和海洋动物群——鱼类和软体动物为基础，以绵羊和山羊作为肉类的补充来源。在“堡垒”地区，从尼罗河谷进口的动物遗骸，即牛和猪，只是零星出现。在本世纪下半叶，当地产品在饮食中的重要性下降。相反，大牛和非常大而结实的山羊成为居民肉类消费的来源。这种转变表明希腊化的贝雷尼克与组织良好的食品供应网络有关，尤其是与动物养殖经济发达的地方有关。本文讨论了这种肉类消费转变的考古证据以及对希腊化贝雷尼克的畜牧经济的影响。