300 A.D. the camel caravan's superi- ority in long-haul work was established. A new "north Arabian saddle" raised the camel's peak load to 500 Ibs., making the typical string of 12 animals, tended one or two men, more efficient than any wagon. Fig- ures in the Emperor Diocletian's Edict on Prices (301 A.D.) suggest that camels cost 20 percent less to maintain than horse- or donkey-drawn carts.
Whatever the terrain, the long-limbed animals could move 20 miles in a six-hour traveling day...