Malao Explained
Malao (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Μαλαὼ)[3] [4] was an ancient port city in present-day Somaliland. The town was situated on the site of what later would become the city of Berbera.[5] It was a key trading center involved in the Red Sea-Indian Ocean trade during Late Antiquity. The town maintained an important monetary market, exchanging goods in the currencies of the Roman Empire.[6]
History and trade
See main article: Maritime history of Somalia. The ancient port city of Malao was positioned in the historic Somali city of Berbera. It is mentioned in the 1st century CE Periplus of the Erythraean Sea:
Other than Arabia, goods were also purchased and transported to the Greek, Roman and Egyptian empires.[7] Malao gained its high level of trade from its nexus position, by being the closest African port to Arabia and the more peaceful nature of the city, as compared to other potential trade areas.[8]
See also
Notes and References
- Book: Chandra . S. . Foundations of Ethnobotany (21st Century Perspective) . Jain . A. K. . 2017-01-01 . Scientific Publishers . 978-93-87307-44-5 . 100 . en.
- Book: Society, Hakluyt . The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea . 1980 . Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. . 978-0-904180-05-3 . 17 . en.
- Web site: Περίπλους της Ερυθράς Θαλάσσης - Βικιθήκη . 2022-05-29 . el.wikisource.org . el.
- Web site: ToposText . 2022-05-29 . topostext.org.
- Book: Allen, James De Vere . Swahili Origins: Swahili Culture & the Shungwaya Phenomenon . 1993 . J. Currey . 978-0-85255-075-5 . 64 . en.
- Book: Ray, Himanshu Prabha. The Archaeology of Seafaring in Ancient South Asia. 2003. Cambridge University Press. 0-521-01109-4. 209.
- Book: Dumper, Michael . Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia . 2007 . ABC-CLIO . 978-1-57607-919-5 . en.
- Book: McLaughlin, Raoul . The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient World Economy and the Kingdoms of Africa, Arabia and India . 2014-09-11 . Pen and Sword . 978-1-78346-381-7 . en.
