Fish in the desert: Identifying fish trade routes and the role of Red Sea parrotfish (Scaridae) during the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods

Recent archaeological excavations in the Negev desert of the southern Levant have yielded a surprising and unprecedented amount of fish remains, found in the landfills at Byzantine (4th–7th century CE) and Early Islamic (7th–9th century CE) sites. The significant economic and dietary role of Red Sea fish, especially parrotfish (Scaridae), in addition to fish originating from freshwater habitats, including the Nile, as well as from the Mediterranean Sea, attest to the importance of fish in sophisticated trade networks, which facilitated the transport of fish from different aquatic habitats to the distant provinces. The discovery of Red Sea parrotfish at all three studied sites is of particular interest. Analysis of the Scaridae remains revealed their role as a flagship species of the Red Sea coral-reef fishery and as an essential commodity in the Byzantine and Early Islamic economic systems; as well as the presence of more than one Scaridae species. The study of skeletal element representation indicated that complete fish, larger than 23 cm in length (SL), were transported to the sites. The bone fragmentation patterns reflected typical traditional butchering during the desiccation processes. The fish remains recovered from the desert provide new insights into the infrastructure of commercial networks that enabled the transport of fish over long distances during periods of high demand for fish products.