Page 68 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

56 History and Science of Knots

Plaiting does occur at Berenike and is used for making a type of basketry
which is very common in Egypt in the post-Pharaonic period. More will be
said about plaited basketry when discussing the cordage of Qasr Ibrim. Apart
from these plaits some decorative plaiting occurs at Berenike, for instance a
four-strand plait, made with strips of date palm leaf (Figs. 16 and 17).
Abu Sha'ar
The Roman Fort at Abu Sha'ar was in use between the 3rd and the 7th
century A.D. Its situation was very similar to that of Berenike: at the Red Sea
coast, isolated by the mountainous Eastern desert which lies between the Red
Sea coast and the Nile valley. The nature of the finds at Abu Sha'ar differs
considerably from those at Berenike. In Abu Sha'ar no luxury items were
found. Even the cordage from the Roman fort was very basic and utilitarian.
Vegetable materials used were grass (Desmostachya bipinnata), the leaf and
leafsheath fibre of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) and to a lesser extent
rushes (Juncus arabicus) and flax (Linum usitatissimum). A large number of
grass string ties were found, with a diameter ranging between 100 and 120
mm, tied with an S-half knot (Fig. 18).

Fig. 18. Schematic drawing of two stages of tying a zS2 grass string around bundles
of rushes
A number of these were found in situ, tied around bundles of rushes (Jun-
cus arabicus). These bundles, imported from the Nile Valley, were used for
several purposes. Complete bundles were found in the roofing layers, indicat-
ing that they were used on the roofs, perhaps to weigh down other roofing
materials such as twigs and matting. Rushes were also used to make fish traps
and baskets. Considering the large number of grass string ties that were re-
trieved, the rushes must have been imported in large quantities. A plausible
explanation is that the rushes were mainly used as fodder for the camels and
goats present at or near the fort. At Abu Sha'ar a large amount of goat hair
string was found. This string was largely made in an orientation opposite to
that of grass and datepalm fibre string: sZ2 and sZ2S2. This is consistent
with the occurrence and orienation of the goat hair string from Berenike, also