Le but de la thèse est d’analyser l’importance idéologique et religieuse des expéditions égyptiennes au pays de Pount, particulièrement sous la XVIIIe dynastie. La 1ère partie (chapitres 1-4) présente en détail les sources relatives aux expéditions pountites et des produits en rapportés. Bien que la prééminence soit réservée aux sources de la XVIIIe dynastie, les documents datant d’autres périodes ont été aussi inclus dans les analyses. La 2e partie (chapitres 5-8) constitue une synthèse des conclusions formulées en résultat des analyses faites dans la 1ère partie. De cette façon, l’auteur examine les divers toponymes relatifs au pays de Pount (chapitre 5), le problème de la localisation exacte de Pount (chapitre 6), le caractère des expéditions pountites en comparaison aux autres types des missions étrangères égyptiennes (chapitre 7) aussi bien que les divers liens entre le pays de Pount et la religion et l’idéologie du pouvoir en Égypte (chapitre 8). L’auteur conclut que Pount jouait un rôle crucial dans l’idéologie du pouvoir égyptienne étant particulièrement associé au dieu solaire aussi bien qu’à la déesse Hathor. Les produits pountites étaient extrêmement importants tant pour le culte funéraire royal et privé que pour le culte divin rendu dans les temples. C’est pourquoi l’organisation d’une expédition pountite était un devoir du roi qui, selon les croyances égyptiennes, obéissait à un ordre direct du dieu solaire. En plus, aux diverses époques on peut percevoir une volonté de rétablir les contacts avec Pount afin de restaurer l’ordre naturel après une période de la crise, ce qui est particulièrement visible sous le règne d’Hatchepsout de la XVIIIe dynastie. / The aim of the dissertation is to analyse the religious and ideological significance of the ancient Egyptian Punt expeditions, particularly in the 18th dynasty. In the first part (chapters 1-4) the sources concerning the ancient Egyptian Punt expeditions as well as the products imported to Egypt in their result were discussed in detail. Although the pre-eminence is given to the 18th dynasty sources, documents from other periods were also included in the analysis. The second part (chapters 5-8) constitutes a synthesis of the conclusions drawn in result of the analysis of the sources of the first part. Therefore, the author discusses various toponyms related to the land of Punt (chapter 5), the problem of Punt’s exact location (chapter 6), the character of the Punt expeditions in comparison with other foreign missions (chapter 7) as well as various links between the land of Punt and Egyptian religion and ideology of kingship (chapter 8). The author concludes that the land of Punt played an important role in the Egyptian ideology of kingship being especially associated with the sun-god as well as with the goddess Hathor. Puntite products were crucial for both royal and private funerary cult as well as for the divine cult carried out in the temples. This is why the organisation of a Punt expedition was a duty of the Egyptian king, who, according to Egyptian beliefs, was obeying a direct order of the sun-god. Moreover, in various periods we may observe a wish to re-establish the contacts with Punt in order to restore the natural order of things after a period of crisis, which is especially visible in the reign of Hatshepsut of the 18th dynasty.

Cette thèse interroge la pérennité de la relation spéciale entre Israël et l’Éthiopie, étudiée au prisme des contextes géopolitiques des deux régions concernées : le Moyen-Orient et la Corne de l’Afrique. Assurément, les récits bibliques, du mythe de la rencontre entre la reine de Saba et le roi Salomon aux particularités du christianisme en Éthiopie, ancrent sur des temps longs les représentations communes à Israël et son jumeau à l’autre rive de la mer Rouge, auto-qualifié Verus Israel. Les Bétä Esraél, découverts tôt mais reconnus tardivement par le judaïsme institutionnalisé, font se croiser les destins éthiopien et israélien, ajoutant une dimension tout à fait originale à cette relation. Celle-ci s’inscrit par ailleurs dans le cadre plus général de l’élaboration des politiques africaines d’Israël, marquée elle aussi par des représentations fortes, imprégnées de valeurs juives et du sionisme, mais aussi par de nombreuses contradictions : la volonté d’incarner une démocratie modèle et la complexité à assumer un destin national unique et une identité particulière parfois exclusive. L’intégration des Juifs d’Éthiopie et plus encore l’afflux de réfugiés originaires de la Corne de l’Afrique font rejaillir ces questionnements existentiels. Puissance capitale de cette région, fenêtre ouverte ou connectée à la mer Rouge, l’Éthiopie, État-ciblé dès les années 1950 par Israël pour percer son isolement, conserve aujourd’hui une place de choix dans les visées israéliennes sur le continent. Néanmoins l’étude des conflits et des rapports de force nouveaux dans la Corne de l’Afrique invite à relativiser le rôle de l’allié éthiopien au profit d’une approche régionale intégrée. / This thesis explores the permanency of the special relationship between Israel and Ethiopia, studied through a geopolitical lens of two regions: the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. From biblical accounts of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon’s union, to the particularities of Christianity in Ethiopia, Israel and Ethiopia share significant historical, social, and religious ties, as well as similar perceptions and representations of their longstanding relationship and connection to the “Holy Land.” The Bétä Esraél, Ethiopia’s indigenous Jewish community, rediscovered in the 19th century and later recognized by the community of Jews in 1973, adds a unique dimension to the modern-day Israel-Ethiopia relationship. Nonetheless, the integration of Ethiopian Jewry into Israeli society, combined with the influx of refugees from the Horn of Africa, raise a number of existential questions, including Israel’s policies toward development in Africa, which is evidenced by strong representations of Jewish values and Zionism, as well as challenging contradictions (e.g. representing a model democracy versus the difficulty in assuming a unique national destiny or exclusive identity). Due to the strategic importance of the Horn of Africa, particularly its close proximity and access to the Red Sea, Israel targeted Ethiopia in the 1950’s as the country to help break its isolation. Even today, Ethiopia continues to play a prominent role in Israel’s ambitions on the continent; the analysis on conflicts and the balance of power in the region give rise to new intersecting challenges, which requires Israel to put Ethiopia into perspective and favor a more comprehensive regional approach to the relationship.

Denna studie syftar till, ur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv, att ge en djupare förståelse för hur turismen har påverkat destinationen Sharm el Sheikh i Egypten. Studiens resultat visar att destinationen Sharm el Sheikh har påverkats i stor omfattning av turismen, inom den socio- kulturella sektorn, den ekonomiska sektorn och miljösektorn, samtliga av de tre områden som enligt FN är definitionen av hållbar turism. Inom den socio- kulturella sektorn finns det flera problem; den bakomliggande orsaken till många av dessa problem är att ursprungsbefolkningen känner sig förbisedda och inte har getts möjlighet till att påverka utvecklingen av destinationen i en önskvärd omfattning. Den positiva påverkan turismen har haft på den socio- kulturella sektorn är en ökad förståelse för den lokala kulturen. Den största negativa effekten på den ekonomiska sektorn, av turismen på Sharm el Sheikh, har visat sig vara att 97 procent av intäkterna försvinner ut ur destinationen genom ett så kallat läckage. Detta beror främst på att det är utländska ägare av hotellen och all-inclusive anläggningarna. Den egyptiska staten har försökt att minska detta läckage genom att införa en lag som säger att en egyptier måste äga minst 49 procent av företaget, detta tycks dock inte ha gett önskat effekt utan istället har vissa egyptier agerat som målvakter mot en fast ersättning istället för ägandeskap i företagen. De miljömässiga problemen som turismen orsakat i Sharm el Sheikh är också flera. Slitaget på den marina miljön, vilket för många turister är en stor reseanledning till destinationen, är en ut av de största. Det har visat sig att turismen orsakar ett stort slitage på miljön genom förstörelse av korallreven, överfiske, sopor och utsläpp. För att bidra med kunskap till hur det påverkat just destinationen Sharm el Sheikh har dels fem intervjuer genomförts med människor som alla koppling till destinationen samt har litteratur och tidigare forskning använts även här. / This study aims to, from a sustainable perspective; contribute to a deeper understanding of how tourism has affected the destination Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. The result show that the destination has been affected to a large extent by tourism, within the socio cultural sector, the economic sector and the environmental sector, all within the UN’s definition of sustainable tourism. Within the socio cultural sector there are several problems; the main one behind many of which is that the indigenous people feel they have not been given the possibility to affect the destination as much as they would have wanted. The positive effect that tourism has had to the socio cultural sector is a greater understanding for the local culture. The largest affect in the economic sector, by the tourism in Sharm el Sheikh, has turned out to be that 97 percent of the income made by tourists disappears from the destination because of a so called leakage, the main reason being the foreign owners of the hotels and the all-inclusive establishments. The Egyptian government has tried to reduce this leakage by introducing a law that at least 49 percent of each company is owned by an Egyptian, although this does not appear to have given the wanted effect. Instead some Egyptians act like goalkeeper’s for a fixed fee instead of a real ownership within the companies. The environmental problems caused by tourism in Sharm el Sheikh is also several. The wear on the marine environment, which is a common reason to travel for many to the destination, is one of the largest. Tourism causes an excessive wear on the environment by destroying coral reefs, over fishing, solid waste and emissions. To contribute knowledge to how it affected the destination Sharm el Sheikh, five interviews were conducted with people who all have a connection to destination, and also literature and previous research has been used.

In this Master thesis the behaviour of anemone shrimp Ancylomenes longicarpus was studied in situ in the Red Sea. The diurnal activity, signalling behaviour and also cleaning behaviour was observed and analyzed.

Chapter 2: This chapter introduces the five study sites (Ras Al‐Qasabah; Al Wajh; Yanbu; Farasan Banks; and Western Farasan Islands) along with the fieldwork and detailed benthic mapping and bathymetry mapping conducted in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. In the Western Farasan Islands two candidate mapping technologies were compared. Firstly, the QuickBird multispectral satellite sensor and secondly the CASI‐550 airborne hyperspectral sensor. In processing the CASI imagery, it was necessary to customize processing to correct for an unusual across‐track artifact caused by lens condensation. On the basis of cost, logistical constraints, spectral reliability, and project needs, multispectral imagery was found to be the most appropriate technology for regional‐scale mapping. Over 20,000 sq. km of high quality QuickBird imagery were amassed across the five study sites. This represents approximately half the shallow water (<20 m) environment of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. The work presented in this chapter provides a blueprint for processing such large image data sets. Maps with a minimum mapping unit (MMU) of 7.5 sq. m, and a thematic resolution of fifteen habitat classes were produced at an overall accuracy (Tau statistic) of 70%. The five study sites were found to differ substantially in terms of the type, quantity and spatial arrangement of habitats present. The study illustrates the power of remote sensing for delivering regional‐scale audits of coral reef environments. Chapter 3: Coral reefs and their associated accumulations of carbonate sediment adopt particularly complex planform geometries atop the coastal shelf of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. By assembling 95,000 sq. km of remote sensing data into a GIS, this study aims to relate the morphology of these shallow‐water depositional environments to processes that sculpt the coastal zone. A typology is developed that sorts carbonate systems into end‐members on the basis of their morphology and relationship to the coastline. The resulting GIS was interrogated for spatial patterns in the distribution and abundance of the end‐members. While several depositional morphologies are present throughout the length of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, the occurrence of others is restricted to narrow regions of latitude. Such differences in distribution can be explained in process‐terms by the rift tectonics of the Red Sea basin, spatial variability in the presence of sub‐seafloor evaporites, and the input of siliciclastic detritus onto the coastal shelf via wadis. This chapter provides a foundation for understanding the morphological diversity of shallow‐water carbonate systems in both the modern ocean and rock record. Chapter 4: In this chapter a framework is proposed for spatially estimating a proxy for coral reef resilience using remote sensing. Data spanning over 20,000 sq. km of coral reef habitat were obtained using the commercial QuickBird satellite, and freely available imagery (NASA, Google Earth). Principles of coral reef ecology, field observation, and remote observations, were combined to devise mapped indices. These indices capture important and accessible components of coral reef resilience. Indices are divided between factors known to stress corals, and factors incorporating properties of the reef landscape that resist stress or promote coral growth. The first‐basis for a remote sensed resilience index (RSRI), an estimate of expected reef resilience, is proposed. Developed for the Red Sea, the framework of the analysis is flexible and with minimal adaptation, could be extended to other reef regions. The chapter illustrates how remote sensing can be used to deliver more than simply habitat maps of coral reefs. Chapter 5: In this chapter, a fundamental measure of coral reef health, coral cover, is assessed in relation to two physical parameters, water depth and wave height. Light availability declines rapidly with depth, which influences the photosynthetic productivity of coral. Where waves break, they produce a severe increase in marine turbulence, and generate currents that may extend beyond the surf zone. The study is focused on the Farasan Banks where some 4000 sq. km of reef habitat are spread across 12,000 sq. km of the Saudi Arabian coastal shelf. The size of the system creates logistical challenge for standard field‐based monitoring methodologies, such as SCUBA surveys. Here, rapid video assessments were employed to deliver measures of coral health across eight percentage cover classes at 472 locations. Whilst water depth can be reliably derived from satellite, assessing wave height is problematic since the parameter is both spatially and temporally variable. Using daily, satellite derived meteorology, a spatially explicit wave model was developed spanning the nine year period from 1999 to 2008. For the majority of the video sites in the Farasan Banks, coral cover was found to be <11%. This statistic hides the counter trend, however that there are robust patterns in higher coral abundance that can be characterized by water depth and wave height. In the inshore, wave height had little bearing on coral cover, instead video sites with a high coral cover were found with a greater probability in shallow (<9m, reef environments. In the offshore, wave exposure exercises stronger control on coral cover than in the inshore, such that video sites with a coral cover greater than 50% were exclusively found in areas where significant wave height exceeds 2 m. The water depth at which the highest coral cover occurs is also deeper offshore than inshore. Once quantified, the conservative behavior of coral cover with respect to water depth and hydrodynamic exposure offers relevant insight to the management of coral reef environments at regional extent. Chapter 6: Carbonate sequence stratigraphy is founded on the principle that changes in relative sea level are recorded in the rock record by the accumulation of sediment with relative‐water‐depth dependent attributes. While at the scale of a shelf‐to‐basin transect, facies clearly stratify by water depth, the relationship blurs for depths <40 m, the most vigorous zone of carbonate production, where the intrinsic processes of storm and wave reworking influence the seabed through submarine erosion and sediment redistribution. Remote sensing imagery, field observations, and hydrodynamic models for two reef‐rimmed shore‐attached carbonate platforms in the Red Sea show neither water depth nor energy regime to be reliable indicators of facies type when considered in isolation. Considered simultaneously, however, the predictive power of the two variables rises significantly. The results demonstrate it to be an oversimplification to assume a direct link between palaeo‐water depth and depositional lithofacies diversity, while highlighting the importance of hydrodynamics in directing the accumulation of carbonate sediments in the shallow photic zone. While the size distributions of facies in the two focus areas, Al Wajh and Ras Al‐Qasabah, follow power laws, no direct relationship between the lateral continuity of the facies belts and water depth or wave height are reported. The work is relevant for the interpretation of meter‐scale subtidal carbonate cycles throughout the geologic record.

Un des avantages des lasers femtosecondes de haute puissance (TW-PW) est de pouvoir obtenir, au foyer d'une optique focalisante, des intensités très élevées atteignant jusqu'à 10^22W.cm^-2 soit un champ électrique de 2.7 PV.m^-1. Pour cela, ces chaînes lasers délivrent nécessairement des faisceaux de grands diamètres (jusqu'à 40 cm) et des impulsions très courtes (de l'ordre de la dizaine de femtosecondes). En conséquence, les propriétés spatiales et temporelles de l'impulsion ne sont généralement pas indépendantes. Ce type de dépendance, appelée couplage spatio-temporel, a pour conséquence d'augmenter la durée d'impulsion et la taille de la tache focale, ce qui peut conduire à une diminution notable de l'intensité maximale au foyer. Les dispositifs de métrologie couramment utilisés sur ces chaînes lasers femtosecondes de haute puissance ne permettent de mesurer les profils spatial et temporel de l'impulsion que de façon indépendante.L'objectif de cette thèse était de développer des techniques permettant de mesurer les couplages spatio-temporels afin de pouvoir quantifier leur effet et de les corriger dans l'optique d'obtenir l'intensité maximale au foyer. Ainsi, nous avons tout d'abord adapté une technique de caractérisation spatio-temporelle existante à la mesure de lasers TW. Afin d'éviter les contraintes induites au foyer, comme celles liées aux fluctuations de pointé, les mesures ont été réalisées sur le faisceau collimaté. Ajouter une source de référence en parallèle du dispositif initial, nous a aussi permis de prendre en compte les artéfacts de mesure dus aux variations thermiques et mécaniques affectant l'interféromètre. Grâce à cette amélioration, il est possible de reconstruire le profil spatio-temporel complet du faisceau, en particulier son front d'onde.Cependant, les limitations induites par cette technique, nous ont conduit à développer un nouveau dispositif de mesure. Basé sur une corrélation croisée, cette technique consiste à faire interférer le faisceau laser à caractériser avec une partie de ce dernier, suffisamment petite pour ne pas être distordue spatio-temporellement. Nous avons également mis en œuvre une variante de ce dispositif permettant une mesure mono-coup selon une dimension transverse de l'impulsion.A l'aide de ces différentes techniques, nous avons pu caractériser, pour la première fois, plusieurs chaînes lasers TW. Les mesures réalisées ont mis en lumière l'existence de couplages spatio-temporels résiduels conduisant à une baisse significative de l'intensité pic au foyer. Ces résultats montrent qu'il est indispensable de caractériser spatio-temporellement des chaînes lasers femtosecondes de haute puissance dans l'optique d'obtenir l'intensité maximale au foyer. / One of the advantages of high-power femtosecond lasers (TW-PW) is to obtain, at the focus of a focusing optic, very high intensities up to 10^22W.cm^-2 (i.e. an electric field of 2.7 PV.m^-1. Therefore, these lasers chains necessarily deliver beams with large diameter (up to 40 cm) and very short pulses (of the order of tens of femtoseconds). As a consequence, the spatial and temporal properties of the pulse are generally not independent. Such dependence, called spatial-temporal coupling has the effect of increasing the pulse duration and the size of the focal spot, which can lead to a significant reduction of the maximum intensity at the focus. Metrology devices commonly used on these high-power femtosecond lasers allow retriving the spatial and temporal profiles of the pulse only in an independent manner. The aim of this thesis was to develop techniques for measuring spatiotemporal couplings in order to quantify their effect and correct them in order to obtain the maximum intensity at focus. First of all, we adapted an existing technique of spatio-temporal characterization to the measurement of TW lasers. To avoid the issues induced at the focus, such as those related to jittering, measurements were performed on the collimated beam. By adding a reference source to the original device, we managed to take into account the measurement artifacts due to thermal and mechanical variations affecting the interferometer. With this improvement, it was possible to reconstruct the complete spatio-temporal profile of the beam, particularly its wavefront. However, the limitations imposed by this technique led to the development of a new measurement device. Based on a cross-correlation, this technique consists of making the laser beam to interfere with a part of itself, small enough not to be spatiotemporally distorted. We have also implemented a variant of this device for a single-shot measurement along one transverse dimension of the pulse. Using these techniques, we performed the very first characterization of several TW laser chains. The measurements have revealed the existence of residual space-time couplings leading to a significant decrease of the peak intensity at focus. These results show that it is essential to spatio-temporally characterize high power femtosecond laser chains to obtain the maximum intensity at focus.

Rezente Korallenriffe sind einer ganzen Reihe von Bedrohungen ausgesetzt. Das Pleistozän bietet die Gelegenheit Veränderungen an Korallenriffgemeinschaften durch Klimaschwankungen hinweg zu studieren und mit heutigen Riffen zu vergleichen. Am besten sind pleistozäne Riffe in der Karibik untersucht, während aus dem Indo-Pazifik, der über eine deutlich höhere Biodiversität verfügt, bisher nur wenige quantitative Studien vorliegen. Frühere Studien zeigen eine erstaunliche Stabilität und Langlebigkeit der Korallengemeinschaften hinsichtlich Diversität und taxonomischer Zusammensetzung trotz extremer Meeresspiegelschwankungen und starker klimatischer Veränderungen im Quartär. Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt zwei Regionen, aus der quantitative Daten auf Artniveau über die Zusammensetzung der fossilen Korallengemeinschaften bisher weitestgehend fehlten: das tropische Vanuatu (Südpazifik) und der subtropische Sinai, Ägypten (nördliches Rotes Meer). In Vanuatu sind mindestens 5 fossile Riffterrassen mit einem Alter von etwa 5000 - 400.000 Jahren überliefert, von denen 4 detailliert untersucht werden konnten. Veränderungen in der Diversität wurden sowohl lateral als auch vertikal nur mit unterschiedlichen Riffhabitaten in Verbindung gebracht. Die Riffe waren insgesamt über die Interglaziale bin ins mittlere Holozän hinweg stabil. Nur die Gattung Acropora scheint erst in den letzten 96.000 Jahren häufiger zu werden. In Ägypten wurden Daten aus der jüngsten interglazialen Terrasse (MIS 5e, ~125.000 Jahre) mit rezenten Daten aus dem Roten Meer verglichen und eine Migration von Arten nach Norden während des letzten Interglazials belegt. Diese Beobachtung unterstützt frühere Arbeiten, die eine Verschiebung der Riffdiversität in höhere Breiten verbunden mit einer Abnahme der Diversität in niederen Breiten aufzeigten, sowie Studien, die das nördliche Rote Meer als mögliches Refugium für Korallen im Zuge der weiteren Klimaerwärmung sehen. / The Pleistocene provides the opportunity to study changes of coral reef communities through times of climate change, and to compare fossil to recent reefs. Whereas Pleistocene reefs from the Caribbean are well studied and understood, the much larger Indo-Pacific region with a greater coral diversity is represented by only a few quantitative studies on community ecology. Previous studies observed an astonishing persistence and stability in community composition and diversity throughout several interglacial episodes until today, which is contradictory to the claim that recent coral reefs are especially sensitive to climate change. The present study deals with two Indo-Pacific regions that so far lacked quantitative data of fossil reef communities: tropical Vanuatu (Coral Sea) and subtropical Sinai, Egypt (northern Red Sea). In Vanuatu at least seven fossil reef terraces with ages between 5,000 and 400,000 years are preserved, of which four could be studied in more detail. A great variability was observed among terraces and especially among sub-environments within terraces. Reefs remained stable in terms of diversity throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene but it seems that the dominance of the coral genus Acropora is a fairly recent phenomenon in Vanuatu, because this genus does not play a large role in terraces older than 96,000 years (MIS 5c). In Egypt quantitative and binary data from the last interglacial episode (MIS 5e) were compared with data from the recent Red Sea and adjacent regions. These show a northward migration of coral taxa during the last MIS5e. This observation confirms earlier studies that demonstrated a range expansion of tropical reef communities towards higher latitudes, and supports studies that suggest the northern Red Sea and especially the Gulf of Aqaba as future refuge for corals during climate warming. These results indicate that coral reefs were able to cope with dramatic environmental changes in the absence of anthropogenic impact.

From roughly 1865 to 1926, the forces of European imperialism brought the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca under the scrutiny of non-Muslim interests. The driving force behind this dramatic change was the expansion of the British Empire’s maritime supremacy in the Indian Ocean basin. With the development of steamship travel and the opening of the Suez Canal, colonial authorities became increasingly involved in the surveillance of seaborne pilgrims. During this period, the hajj came to be recognized as both the primary conduit for the spread of epidemic diseases, such as cholera and plague, and a critical outlet for the growth of Pan-Islamic networks being forged between Indian dissidents, pilgrims, and the Ottoman Empire. As a result, the British and Ottoman empires engaged in a struggle for control of the hajj, which would ultimately reshape both the hajj and the political landscapes of the Middle East and South Asia.

The port site of Berenike Troglodytica - located on the Egyptian Red Sea coast - served the spice and incense routes that linked the Mediterranean World (specifically the Roman Empire) to India, Southern Arabia and East Africa. In the Greco-Roman period the site was at the cutting edge of what was then the embryonic global economy, ideally situated as a key node connecting Indian Ocean and Mediterranean trade for almost 800 years. It is now located in an arid, marginal, hostile environment but the situation must have been very different 2300 years ago, at the time of its founding. At the time of elephant-hunting trips during the Hellenistic period before the inception of its important role in the global markets of the day in the Roman period Berenike would have to have looked much different to what we can now imagine. What was it like then, when the first prospectors visited this location at the time of Ptolemy II? Why this particular place, and this particular landscape setting seemed such a propitious location for the siting of an important new harbour? Given the importance of the port over almost a millennium it is perhaps surprising that very little is known about the different factors impacting on the foundation, evolution, heyday and subsequent decline of the city; or the size, shape, and capacity of its harbour. The intention of this research is to address this shortfall in our knowledge, to examine the drivers behind the rise and fall of this port city, and to explore the extent to which the dynamics of the physical landscape were integral to this story. Using an innovative Earth Science approach, changes in the archaeological 'coastscape' have been reconstructed and correlated with periods of occupation and abandonment of the port, shedding light on the nature, degree and directionality of human-environment interactions at the site. This work has revealed profound changes in the configuration of the coastal landscape and environment (including the sea level) during the lifespan of Berenike, highlighting the ability of people to exploit changes in their immediate environment, and demonstrating that, ultimately, the decline of the port was partly due to these landscape dynamics. To further explore these themes the landscape reconstructions have been supplemented by semi-quantitative analyses of a suite of variables likely to influence the initial siting of new ports of trade. These have shown that although the site of Berenike was ideal in terms of its coastal landscape potential, possessing a natural sheltered bay and lagoon system, the choice of location was not solely influenced by its environmental conditions. Additionally, a detailed review of vessels that plied Red Sea and Indian Ocean routes is presented here in order to better understand the design and functioning of Berenike's harbour. This serves the purpose of identifying unifying features that provide more detail about the size and draught of vessels and the potential capacity of the harbour basin. By using this multi-scalar approach it has been possible to reconstruct the 'coastscape' of the site through the key periods of its occupancy and those phases immediately before and after its operation. This has wide-ranging implications for researchers studying ancient ports along this trade network as a larger database will tease out more details about how influential the landscape was in the initial siting of the port and its subsequent use and decline.

À côté de la jeune histoire de l’archéologie sous-marine égyptienne qui est retracée dans ce travail, les expériences similaires dans le monde méditerranéen sont beaucoup plus anciennes. Elles remontent au XVe siècle avec la découverte d’une épave du Ier siècle ap. J.-C. dans le lac Nemi, puis à la récupération d'une partie de la cargaison de l'épave antique d'Anticythère en 1901 grâce aux pêcheurs d'éponges grecs, ainsi qu’à la découverte en 1907 de l'épave romaine de Mahdia en Tunisie. Elles constituent des événements marquants dans le domaine de l'archéologie sous-marine. Mais l’archéologie sous-marine s’est développée de manière spectaculaire avec l’invention du scaphandre autonome par les français Jacques-Yves Cousteau et l’ingénieur Émile Gagnan. Cette invention provoqua une véritable révolution dans le domaine des activités sous-marines en 1942-1943. Ensuite les découvertes se succédèrent dans le bassin méditerranéen pendant plus d’un demi-siècle et de nombreux pays à travers le monde décidèrent de la mise en place de service archéologique spécialement dédié aux activités subaquatiques et sous-marines.Cette thèse porte sur une politique de gestion des vestiges immergés en Egypte, à la lumière des autres expériences en Méditerranée, afin d’attirer l'attention sur la richesse du patrimoine subaquatique égyptien à travers une étude dans le détail et dans son ensemble de l’action du Conseil suprême des Antiquités de l’Égypte et des diverses missions étrangères travaillant en Egypte. Elle propose une politique de protection efficace du patrimoine culturel subaquatique en Egypte, et des suggestions de développement du tourisme archéologique sous-marin et subaquatique, pour transformer ces richesses englouties en vecteur économique, tout en assurant leur protection adéquate par une législation spécifique qui n’existe pas encore en Egypte. / Beside this short history of underwater archeology in Egypt which is described in this work, similar experiences in the Mediterranean are much older, they go back to the fifteenth century with the discovery of a wreck from the first century AD, in Lake Nemi, later, the recovery of some objects from the ancient wreck of Anticythère in 1901 by the Greek fishermen of sponge, and the discovery in 1907 of the Roman wreck of Mahdia in Tunisia, are remarkable in the field of underwater archeology. But the underwater archeology has developed with the invention of the aqualung by the French Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the engineer Emile Gagnan. This invention caused a revolution in the field of underwater activities in 1942-1943. Then the underwater discoveries in the Mediterranean were succeeded and increased for more than a half century, and many countries around the world decided the establishment of an archaeological service specifically dedicated to underwater activities. This study focusses on management policy of underwater archaeology in Egypt, in the light of other experiences in the Mediterranean, in order to draw attention to the importance of the Egyptian underwater archaeology through a study in details of the activities of the Supreme council of Antiquities in Egypt and of the different foreign missions working in Egypt and to propose an effective protection policy of underwater cultural heritage in Egypt, also to develop the tourism of underwater archaeology, and to transform these vestiges in an economic vector, while ensuring an adequate protection by specific legislation that does not exist yet in Egypt.