“They shall come to trade at Iken.” Ports and river in second millennium BCE Nubia

The relationship of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom fortresses in Lower Nubia with the river was sometimes remarked upon, the presence of harbors and warehouses was occasionally considered as related to their commercial function, while their role as interface between caravan and river transportation was also occasionally emphasized. However, surprisingly enough, even in the more recent studies devoted to the fortresses and to the rich collections of materials, revealing precious information on their inhabitants and the activities they performed, neither the structure/organization of their harbors nor the activities specifically related to the harbors have been assessed. A more systematic attempt to assess these structures in their relations with the river still remains to be conducted. This contribution is aimed at representing a first effort in this direction.