Frontiers and Borderlands in Imperial Perspectives: Exploring Rome's Egyptian Frontier

Egypt's Great Oasis functioned as a critical buffer zone for the Roman Empire, protecting Nile Valley inhabitants from desert nomads through its conceptual, physical, and human dimensions. This study reveals that the oases, consisting of two linked regions, required specific imperial frontier policies that were not merely economic or militaristic but also ideological. By analyzing documentary sources and archaeological material from the Roman period (ca. 30 B.C.E. to the sixth century C.E.), the research introduces a new theoretical approach that integrates space and social perception to understand borderland developments in imperial contexts.

Boozer, A. L. (2013). Frontiers and Borderlands in Imperial Perspectives: Exploring Rome’s Egyptian Frontier. American Journal of Archaeology, 117(2), 275–292. https://doi.org/10.3764/aja.117.2.0275