Lesson plan
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.…
Article summary
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.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.