The Copper Route and the Egyptian connection in 3rd millennium BC Jordan seen from the caravan city of Khirbet al-Batrawy

Abstract

Was the Kings’ Highway used as “Copper Route” during the 3rd millennium BC and did this
track enhance the connection between Pharaonic Egypt and Jordan? Finds from the 3rd millennium
BC city of Khirbet al-Batrawy suggest that the Copper Route was a way of exchanging goods through
the overland tracks crossing central Sinai. Moreover, this centre provided evidence for a variety of
destinations on long-distance trade routes towards the west (Palestine and Lebanon), the north
(Syria), and across the desert and the steppe, also to the east (Mesopotamia) and the south (Arabia).
The exploitation of the Copper Route as overland connection with Egypt during EB III may
explain the flourishing of Jordanian urban centres in this period.