I am writing a story in which people travel by boat in Greco-Roman Egypt (27 bce), and am wondering if there were internal controls on travel, or if people were pretty much free to come and go as they pleased. I've tried googling this question in various ways without success.
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3It would be done in haphazard manner, depending on local authorities and situation. For example to check on bandits, rebels etc ...Checkpoints could be anywhere, not just on borders, any possible choke point like gorge or mountain pass could be used. And of course city gates.– rs.29Commented Aug 15, 2021 at 8:47
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That makes total sense. Thank you! Just wondering further, since people didn't carry IDs, etc., wondering if they might need an actual pass/written permission to come and go from the city of Alexandria, especially after Egypt became annexed to Rome.– JulieCommented Aug 17, 2021 at 3:37
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Generally speaking, only officials would carry documents confirming their identity. Guards would try to judge people by the way they looked : are you some kind of nobility, perhaps a merchant, or peasant, beggar, possibly escaped slave . And this was not exact science, so possibilities for your story are wide .– rs.29Commented Aug 17, 2021 at 5:36
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1Thanks so much for responding further. Looks like I have more imaginative latitude than I thought!– JulieCommented Aug 18, 2021 at 21:19
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