[5][6] Mons Claudianus was linked to the river Nile by a traceable surviving Roman road marked by way-stations spaced out at one day intervals.

The way-stations, which resembled small defended 'forts', with many rooms accompanied by stabling and a water-supply, served as motels where the men and animals moving the stones could rest, eat and drink.

Donkeys may have been used to transport food and water needed by men between way-stations as well as to pull the wagons; however, for larger loads it seems that both human and animal labour was used.

They were floated by barge down the Nile River when the water level was high during the spring floods, and then transferred to vessels to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Roman port of Ostia.

[4] According to the Ostraca (earthen pots with inscriptions on them) many of the workers at Mons Claudianus earned around 47 drachmas a month -which was about twice as much as their counterparts in the Nile Valley as well as one 'artab' which was approximately 47 pints of wheat.

[8] Fish from the Red Sea, luxuries like artichoke and citron as well as pepper from India and Game animals, snails and oysters were some of the foods available.

[3] Imported chaff, straw, barley grain, charcoal and midden material were used for animal fodder, as temper for the making of wall plaster and mud-brick, and for fuel for the ovens and fires.