Avalites

Avalites (Ancient Greek: Αὐαλίτης, Ἀβαλίτης), also known as Abalitês or Abalita/Abolite, alternatively rendered as Aualites, Aualita, or Avalita, was an ancient port city and trading hub situated in the Horn of Africa during Classical and Late Antiquity. Avalites was one of the principal seaports and commercial centres of Aethiopia alongside Adulis and Mosylon. It is widely believed that Avalites was located near the site that later became the coastal town of Zeila in today’s Awdal region, though another proposed location for Avalites is Djibouti. Avalites appears in several Greco-Roman geographical works, including the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Pliny’s Natural History, Ptolemy’s Geography, and the Ethnica of Stephanus of Byzantium as well as the Periplus of the Outer Sea by Marcian of Heraclea. According to the Periplus, Avalites was part of the so-called “far-side” ports of the Barbar (the ancient Somali people), located near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It was the first Emporium and port of the Barbar, with the rest extending to as far as to Opone in the east. Avalites was an important center of commerce along the spice and incense trade routes. It was known for supplying and exporting ivory, tortoiseshell, and myrrh, the latter described as being of particularly high quality.…

Avalites (Ancient Greek: Αὐαλίτης, Ἀβαλίτης), also known as Abalitês or Abalita/Abolite, alternatively rendered as Aualites, Aualita, or Avalita, was an ancient port city and trading hub situated in the Horn of Africa during Classical and Late Antiquity. Avalites was one of the principal seaports and commercial centres of Aethiopia alongside Adulis and Mosylon. It is widely believed that Avalites was located near the site that later became the coastal town of Zeila in today’s Awdal region, though another proposed location for Avalites is Djibouti. Avalites appears in several Greco-Roman geographical works, including the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Pliny’s Natural History, Ptolemy’s Geography, and the Ethnica of Stephanus of Byzantium as well as the Periplus of the Outer Sea by Marcian of Heraclea. According to the Periplus, Avalites was part of the so-called “far-side” ports of the Barbar (the ancient Somali people), located near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It was the first Emporium and port of the Barbar, with the rest extending to as far as to Opone in the east. Avalites was an important center of commerce along the spice and incense trade routes. It was known for supplying and exporting ivory, tortoiseshell, and myrrh, the latter described as being of particularly high quality. Due to its proximity to the Arabian Peninsula, it was accessible by small boats and rafts, and goods were exported by local Barbar seafarers and merchants across the strait to the South Arabian ports of Ocelis and Muza under the Himyarites in todays Yemen. In return, the Barbar imported luxury items from distant lands such as Roman Egypt, particularly from Diospolis (Thebes), including textiles, as well as agricultural products such as wheat, along with wine and tin. Its inhabitants are described in the Periplus as unruly, reflecting their defensive attitude toward foreigners. Avalites’ position at the entrance to the Indo-Roman trade network, linking Roman Egypt, Arabia, and the Horn of Africa, made it a significant trading port for the Barbar people.

See also

Mosylon

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370340825 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.