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Sailing around the Horn of Africa, before 2000 years

[ Posted On: 2008-05-19 ]

In three earlier articles, entitled 'Somalia as Part of the East – West Trade during the Antiquity' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/61989), 'Somalia, the Other Berberia, Abyssinia, Yemen and the Periplus of the Red Sea' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/62124, and 'Ancient Harbours of Northern Somalia and Colonial Anti-African Historiography' (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/62191), we briefly described the place of Somalia as commercial and navigational hub at the times of the Late Antiquity, we identified Malao (today's Berbera) as capital of 'the Other Berberia', and we underscored the fact that the port of call Avalites (Assab) was presented as part of Somalia (the 'Other Berberia'), and not Axumite Abyssinia. In addition, we refuted aberrations advanced by Jesse Benjamin, who believes that (no Somalis, no Yemenites, no Meroitic Ethiopians, no Axumite Abyssinians but) Nabataean Aramaeans controlled the African land routes and that these roads helped transport the largest part of the merchandise.

We referred to the major textual source of our information, namely the Ancient Greek text 'Periplus of the Red Sea', which was written ca. 70 CE by an anonymous Alexandrian Egyptian merchant and captain, who certainly had personal experience in vast parts of that navigation and trade network area and wished to compile a kind of guide for sailors and traders.

From 'the Other Berberia' to Azania

Completing the series of articles on the excerpts of the 'Periplus of the Red Sea' that bear evidence to the 'Other Berberia', a country that spanned from Eritrea's Assab to the Somali harbour of Ras Hafun, we will focus here on the easternmost coasts of that land.

From Malao to Mundu / Bandar Heis

The 9th chapter of the 'Periplus of the Red Sea' is exclusively dedicated to the market-town of Mundu, a port of call that has been identified with the modern harbour (Bandar) Heis in the vicinity of Maydh. The two modern harbors serve as maritime connection of Erigavo (in Af Somali: Ceerigaabo), administrative center of the Sanaag province and abode of the Warsangeli Somalis. Maydh is famous for the tomb of the Sheikh Isahaq (12 – 13 century CE). We publish the text integrally, adding our commentary next.

Text

9. One thousand or even one thousand five hundred stades beyond Malao is the market-town of Mundu, where the ships lie at anchor more safely behind a projecting island close to the shore. There are imported into this place the things previously set forth, and from it likewise are exported the merchandise already stated, and the incense called mocrotu. And the traders living here are more quarrelsome.

Analysis

The text gives us the impression that there was parity between Malao (today's Berbera) and Mundu (Heis), at least with regard to the imports and the exports. The specific mention of more quarrelsome traders at Mundu makes us think that this market-town was not the epicenter of political and economic power of the Other Berberia, contrarily to Malao, and the local traders, taxed by the central authorities, did their best to maximize the profit ensuing from their products.

On the other hand, Mundu seems to be as large as Malao; contrarily to Avalites (Assab in Eritrea) that is described as 'small market-town', and in contrast to other toponymics at the east of Mundu/Bandar Heis, Mundu and Malao give us the impression of constituting the central and most populated part of the 'Other Berberia'.

Mundu seems to have been more privileged a place for anchoring because of the existence of a 'projecting island'; we remind the reader that in Malao 'the anchorage is an open roadstead'.

Mocrotu incense seems to have been the particularity of the Mundu port of call; it could be found further in the eastern coast of the 'Other Berberia' but it was not of the same quality as that exported from Mundu.

From Mundu to Akroterion Aromaton (Cape Guradafui) and Opone (Ras Hafun)

The following 4 chapters of the 'Periplus of the Red Sea' consist in a description of the easternmost harbours of the Other Berberia. Chapter 10 is dedicated to Mosyllon (Bossasso / Bender Qassim), chapter 11 concerns Little Nile Ptolemy River, Tapatege, Cape Elephant and Elephant River, and Acannae (a large laurel-grove), chapter 12 is focused on the Market and Cape of Spices (Akroterion Aromation: Ras Asir, Cap Guardafui) and Tabae promontory, whereas chapter 13 covers Opone (Ras Hafun), which is the very last market and town of the Other Berberia. We publish the text integrally, adding our commentary next.

Text

10. Beyond Mundu, sailing toward the east, after another 1000 or even 1500 stades, we reach Mosyllum, on a beach, with a bad anchorage. There are imported here the same things already mentioned, also silver plate, a very little iron, and glass. There are shipped from the place a great quantity of cinnamon, (so that this market-town requires ships of larger size), and fragrant gums, spices, a little tortoise shell, and mocrotu, (poorer, than that of Mundus), frankincense, (the far-side), ivory and myrrh in small quantities.

11. Sailing along the coast beyond Mosyllum, after another 1000 stades we come to the so-called Nile Ptolemy market-town, and Tapatege, and a small laurel-grove and Cape Elephant. Then the shore recedes into a bay, and has a river, called Elephant, and a large laurel-grove called Acannae; where alone is produced the far-side frankincense, in great quantity and of the best grade.

12. Beyond this place, the coast trending toward the south, there is the Market and Cape of Spices, an abrupt promontory, at the very end of Berberia's coast toward the east. The anchorage is dangerous at times from the ground-swell, because the place is exposed to the north. A sign of an approaching storm, which is peculiar to the place, is that the deep water becomes more turbid and changes its color. When this happens, they all run to a large promontory called Tabae, which offers safe shelter. There are imported into this market town the things already mentioned; and there are produced in it cinnamon (and its different varieties, gizir, asypha, areho, iriagia, and moto) and frankincense.

13. Beyond Tabae, after sailing four hundred stadia along a promontory, toward which place the current also draws you, there is the town-market of Opone, into which the same things are imported as those already mentioned, and in it the greatest quantity of cinnamon is produced, (the arebo and moto), and slaves of the better sort, which are brought to Egypt in increasing numbers; and a great quantity of tortoiseshell, better than that found elsewhere.

Analysis

Of all these toponymics, few relate to markets and towns, as it is already understood. Mosyllon is mentioned without any specification, but it seems rather smaller than Avalites (Assab) and famous only for its cinnamon.

Nile Ptolemy market-town, and Tapatege, and the small laurel-grove and Cape Elephant were located in the area of Alula (Ras Caluula). The toponymics involve Egyptian cultural radiation that may have been due to an earlier than the times of the Periplus' author Egyptian settlement. Only an Egyptian would name a river in Northern Somalia “Nile”.

Akroterion Aromaton (Ras Asir) is a market town with fewer products and a very dangerous anchorage. Opone is a market town famous for its cinnamon, similarly to Mosyllon. Clearly, Mosyllon and Opone are not as sizeable as Malao and Mundu, and they seem peripheral to the central part of the 'Other Berberia'.

Beyond Opone (Ras Hafun), the entire Eastern African coast down to Rhapta (Daressalam in Tanzania) is called Azania and belongs as colony to the Yemenite merged kingdom of Saba (Sheba) and Himyar. The distinction between the 'Other Berberia' and Azania is very clear political distinction; it does not involve any distinction or differentiation in terms of culture and religion, language and folklore. Simply, there was political and economic autonomy in the former, whereas the latter area, certainly richer in natural resources, was colonized.

Recapitulative Chapter on the 'Other Berberia'

Before embarking on the narration of Azania, the anonymous Alexandrian Egyptian author of the 'Periplus of the Red Sea' makes some key comments of economic, commercial and navigational character only to end up with a remark about the prevailing political conditions throughout the (already described) 'Other Berberia'; this is to be found in the chapter 14, which is a recapitulation of the narrations about the 'Other Berberia'. We publish the text integrally.

Text

14. The voyage to all these farside market-towns is made from Egypt about the month of July, that is Epiphi. And ships are also customarily fitted out from the places across this sea, from Ariaca and Barygaza, bringing to these far-side market-towns the products of their own places; wheat, rice, clarified butter, sesame oil, cotton cloth, (the monache and the sagmatogene), and girdles, and honey from the reed called sacchari. Some make the voyage especially to these market-towns, and others exchange their cargoes while sailing along the coast. This country is not subject to a King, but is administered by sovereigns who rule separately the various market-towns.

Analysis

The reference to the navigational practices clearly indicates that the 'Other Berberia' could very well be a merchant's and a captain's end destination. The fact that Azania lies beyond did not imply that every ship sailing from Egypt would reach the Azanian ports of call. We have good reason to believe this, because precisely of the reference to Indian navigators and merchants, who sailed to 'Other Berberia' to bring their products there. When the author says 'bringing to these far-side market-towns', he means the harbors of the 'Other Berberia'.

The Indian merchants did so in order to avoid the heavier Yemenite customs at the harbor of Aden (Felix Arabia), and it seems that some of them were able to avoid Other Berberian customs altogether by exchanging 'their cargoes while sailing along the coast'. Barygaza is modern Broach in Gujarat (India) and Ariaca refers to the Indo-Scythian state around Barygaza, a political formation that rose in the aftermath of the collapse of the Hellenistic state of Bactria.

The last sentence of the chapter should not be viewed as abnegation of central political power in the 'Other Berberia'; the Greek text employs characteristically a verb (basileuetai), not a substantive. The expression signifies that the country was not ruled by a recognized 'king' of the same rank as the Roman Emperor, the King of Ethiopia (with capital at Meroe in Sudan), the King of Yemen (Sheba and Himyar) or the King of Axum (Abyssinia). This does not deny the existence of central political power in the 'Other Berberia', but clarifies that the power was not of the top rank.

Central Oligarchy, not Monarchy, in the 'Other Berberia'

To state that there were sovereigns in the various market-towns, the text uses the Greek word 'tyrannos' that does not mean 'tyrant' as it derived in modern Western languages, but a sovereign based on an oligarchy, which was conceived as another type of political rule by the Ancient Greeks (monarchy, oligarchy and democracy being the three main types).

The difference between monarchy (ruled by a king / basileus) and oligarchy (ruled by a tyrant / tyrannos) is that the king has seized larger power and rules uncontested, more sophisticated ceremonials and royal proceedings, whereas in the case of an oligarchy, the sovereign has to take into account and consult with the elders, the wealthier and the high priests. The 'Periplus of the Red Sea' mentions precisely in the case of the merged Yemenite kingdom Sheba and Himyar the parallel existence of King Haribael and the Mofar tyrant (chapters 16 and 24). Within larger countries like the merged kingdom of Sheba and Himyar, a king and some tyrants could coexist.

With regard to the 'Other Berberia', we can conclude that the economic riches accumulated in Malao and Mundu contributed to the supremacy of the local sovereign, who may have risen to a level of 'primus inter pares' among the other 'tyrants' of the trade oligarchies of the country.

If the political division of the Other Berberia's oligarchies had been perpetuated, it would have been possible either for the Yemenite King Haribael to extend his Azanian colony in the area of 'Alli Berberia' (that is closer to Yemen itself) or for the Axumite Abyssinian King Zoscales to expand his territory in the south of the Bab el Mandeb straits. But we know that this did not happen.

The reason we therefore claim that a greater oligarchy, encompassing the entire country, had been formed with central power around Malao – Berbera is the fact that the local inhabitants took their destiny in their own hands, fought hard to preserve their right to sail and transport their products across the straits to Mouza in Yemen, made of their land a favorite location for Indian merchandises' transit, and resolutely opposed foreign threats that may have come from either shores of the Red Sea.

With this collapses also the academic myth that the inhabitants of the 'Other Berberia' have "consistently relied on Arab middlemen and transporters" (http://www.encislam.brill.nl/data/EncIslam/C8/COM-1098.html) that was already a mistakenly expressed inconsistency since the Ancient Yemenites were Semitic but certainly not 'Arabs'. In this regard, it is necessary to remind that the 'Periplus of the Red Sea' reveals to us an impressive divide between the civilized Yemenites and the barbaric Arabs of Hedjaz (Colonial Biases in Support of Barbaric Arabia, and Against Civilized Yemen / http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/56024).

In a forthcoming article, we will analyze the excerpts of the 'Periplus of the Red Sea' that concern Azania, the vast Eastern African coastal land from Ras Hafun to the area of Zanzibar.

Read (Italian translation of the Periplus of the Red Sea):
http://www.bibliotecaitaliana.it/xtf/view?docId=bibit001323/bibit001323.xml&chunk.id=d6313e13722&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d6313e13722&brand=default

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_zRbmazWRs (wonderful video-clip with English notes and Dutch subtitles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPH7GWzapZU and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohwcTQqG71U (the tsunami disaster)

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 51, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

| View Profile & All Articles By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis |

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