Adulis and the transshipment of baboons during classical antiquity

Abstract

Adulis, located on the Red Sea coast in present-day Eritrea, was a bustling trading centre between the first and seventh centuries CE. Several classical geographers––Agatharchides of Cnidus, Pliny the Elder, Strabo––noted the value of Adulis to Greco-Roman Egypt, particularly as an emporium for living animals, including baboons (Papiospp.). Though fragmentary, these accounts predict the Adulite origins of mummified baboons in Ptolemaic catacombs, while inviting questions on the geoprovenance of older (Late Period) baboons recovered from Gabbanat el-Qurud (“Valley of the Monkeys”), Egypt. Dated to ca. 800–540 BCE, these animals could extend the antiquity of Egyptian-Adulite trade by as much as five centuries. To explore this possibility, we analysed complete mitochondrial genomes from a mummified baboon from Gabbanat el-Qurud and 14 museum specimens with known provenance together with published georeferenced mitochondrial sequence data. Phylogenetic assignment connects the mummified baboon to modern populations ofPapio hamadryasin Eritrea and eastern Sudan. This result, assuming geographical stability of phylogenetic clades, suggests that present-day Eritrea, and by extension Adulis, was a source of baboons for Late Period Egyptians. It also establishes geographic continuity with baboons from the fabled Land of Punt (Dominy et al., 2020), giving weight to speculation that Punt and Adulis were essentially the same trading centres separated by a thousand years of history.

Palaeopathological and demographic data reveal conditions of keeping of the ancient baboons at Gabbanat el-Qurud (Thebes, Egypt)

“…As shown by previous work [44], the isotopic signature could also provide information on the animals' provenance where-in the case of the hamadryas baboons-it is hoped to find out whether the Horn of Africa or rather the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula played a role. Previous ancient DNA research has shown that genetic material is very poorly preserved, but mitochondrial DNA could also help determine provenance [57,77]. In addition, nuclear DNA could ascertain whether crossbreeding occurred between anubis and hamadryas baboons kept in captivity.…”

“…Of particular interest among them is the female hamadryas baboon MHNL 51000172. The complete mitogenome of this individual was reconstructed and compared well with that of hamadryas from Eritrea, Ethiopia and eastern Sudan, although an origin from the Arabian Peninsula cannot be completely ruled out [57].This animal shows linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) lines about halfway the crown of the first upper PLOS ONE and lower incisors. This marker may well correspond to the stress that the animal underwent when it was captured and translocated immediately afterwards.…”

A Comprehensive Overview of Baboon Phylogenetic History

“…This is most evident in clades G1 and G4, which comprise both yellow and olive baboons, and clade G3, which comprises both olive and hamadryas baboons. It should be noted that the previously described northeastern olive clade G2 loses support with denser sampling and should be collapsed into clade G3 [ 48 ].…”

“…To develop a scenario of baboon phylogeographic history, we compiled georeferenced genetic data of modern baboons [ 18 , 35 , 37 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 68 ] and merged the phylogenetic reconstructions from these multiple datasets in a geographic context. The genus Papio is not well represented in the fossil record, but some key findings in southern and eastern Africa provide a crucial, additional context [ 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 ].…”

“… Sketch showing the phylogenetic relationships between baboons based on mtDNA [ 34 , 35 , 37 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], Y-chromosomes [ 43 ], and whole nuclear genomes [ 18 ]. Minor subclades are omitted for clarity.…”