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The Ancient Red Sea Port of Adulis and the Eritrean Coastal Region

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The Ancient Red Sea Port of Adulis and the Eritrean Coastal Region BAR S2569 2013 The Ancient Red Sea Port ZAZZARO of Adulis and the Eritrean Coastal Region Previous investigations and museum collections THE ANCIENT RED SEA PORT OF ADULIS OF PORT RED SEA ANCIENT THE Chiara Zazzaro BAR International Series 2569 2013 Zazzaro 2569 cover.indd 1 08/10/2013 12:15:39 The Ancient Red Sea Port of Adulis and the Eritrean Coastal Region Previous investigations and museum collections Chiara Zazzaro BAR International Series 2569 2013 Published by Archaeopress Publishers of British Archaeological Reports Gordon House 276 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7ED England [email protected] www.archaeopress.com BAR S2569 The Ancient Red Sea Port of Adulis and the Eritrean Coastal Region: Previous investigations and museum collections © Archaeopress and C Zazzaro 2013 ISBN 978 1 4073 1190 6 Printed in England by 4edge, Hockley All BAR titles are available from: Hadrian Books Ltd 122 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7BP England www.hadrianbooks.co.uk The current BAR catalogue with details of all titles in print, prices and means of payment is available free from Hadrian Books or may be downloaded from www.archaeopress.com Contents List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................................................... ii Preface and acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................................................v Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ vi Environmental and Historical Background ..........................................................................................................................1 The Red Sea environment and sailing conditions ..........................................................................................................1 The recent settlers of the Eritrean North and South Red Sea Regions ..........................................................................2 The maritime component of Eritrean coastal people .....................................................................................................2 Adulis and the Aksumite maritime hegemony in the Red Sea .......................................................................................3 The port facilities and the caravan route ........................................................................................................................6 Navigational skills, ships and boat technology ..............................................................................................................6 Subsistence, economy and religious beliefs of ancient Eritrean coastal people ............................................................7 The Eritrean coast in Italian and other European travellers’ accounts and previous investigations ..................................10 The coast and the islands ..............................................................................................................................................11 The eastern lowlands and the Danakil depression .......................................................................................................21 Water storage installations in the wider context of the south-central and southern Red Sea .......................................26 The museum collections of Adulitan materials ..................................................................................................................31 History of the museum collections ...............................................................................................................................31 Ceramic artefacts ..........................................................................................................................................................32 Vessel Stoppers .............................................................................................................................................................65 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................................................................99 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................................................101 Primary Sources .........................................................................................................................................................101 Secondary Sources .....................................................................................................................................................101 Cartographic Sources .................................................................................................................................................107 i List of Figures Fig. 1 Map of the Red Sea showing the location of Adulis and of the mainstay ports of the Roman (Myos Hormos and Berenike) and of the Byzantine (Clysma and Ayla) trade in the Red Sea. To the left: the hypothetical caravan route heading to the main urban settlements of the Eritrean-Ethiopian highland. .....................................................................................4 Fig. 2 General map of the Eritrean coast showing the location of bays and islands mentioned in the text. ........................8 Fig. 3 Mosaic of aerial photos, taken in the 1960-70s and covering the territory from Zula to Arafali from 15˚N to 15˚20’N and from 39˚30’E to 39˚45’E. .............................................................................................................................12 Fig. 4 Topographic map of Adulis showing the location of excavated trenches ..............................................................14 (modified from Bigliardi, Cappelli, Cocca 2013). ............................................................................................................14 Fig. 5 Manuscript page from Sauter 1957-1961 (unpublished) showing the area in the Gulf of Zula surveyed underwater by a French team in 1957. .................................................................................................................................................17 Fig. 6 A globular vessel found on the Island of Assarca during a visit .............................................................................19 by the author in 2004. ........................................................................................................................................................19 Fig. 7 Map of the Eritrean coast, central sector, showing the location of modern and ancient places and ruins, wells and water sources, volcanic areas and salines mentioned in the sources and on the colonial maps. .......................................20 Fig. 8 Map of the Eritrean coast, southern sector, showing the location of modern and ancient place and ruins, wells and water sources, volcanic areas and salines mentioned in the sources and on the colonial maps. .......................................22 Fig. 9 Materials collected on the surface at Raheita by Francis Anfray in 1965, .............................................................23 now kept in the National Museum of Addis Abeba. ..........................................................................................................23 Fig. 10 Map of the Eritrean coast, northern sector, showing the location of modern and ancient place and ruins, wells and water sources, volcanic areas and salines mentioned in the sources and on the colonial maps. .......................................25 Fig. 11.1-7 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ....................................................................................36 Fig. 11.8-10 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ..................................................................................37 Fig. 11.11-14 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ................................................................................38 Fig. 11.15-22 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ................................................................................39 Fig. 11.23-31 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ................................................................................40 Fig. 11.23-31 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ................................................................................41 Fig. 11.35-40 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ................................................................................42 Fig. 11.41-49 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ................................................................................43 Fig. 11.50-57 Ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea. ................................................................................44 Fig. 11.58-60 Ceramic artefacts in the ..............................................................................................................................45 National Museum of Eritrea. ..............................................................................................................................................45 Fig. 11.61 Ceramic artefacts in the ...................................................................................................................................46
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