Adulis and the Sea

For at least seven centuries Adulis has regulated the maritime trade of the people of the Northern Horn of Africa with the Mediterranean and India, first as main market for the people of the region and later on – at least from the late fourth and fifth centuries AD onwards – as a port also for transhipping goods from India to the Mediterranean. Its main role in the trade dynamics of the southern Red Sea and in the region has been assessed by recent and previous surveys and excavations, but the anchorage, landing facilities and port structures have not yet been found. Another aspect, relevant for outlining the maritime vocation of Adulis and its inhabitants, is its “fleet”, the existence of which is mentioned in the Martyrium Sancti Arethae and suggested by other sources but no traces of the ship remains, iconography or ship-related equipment has been found so far.