Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology

85
Series Editors: Laurence Smith, Brian Stewart and Stephanie Wynne-Jone

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
bar@archaeopress.com
www.archaeopress.com

BAR S2569
Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 85

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
The local ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea....................................................................................34
The imported ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Eritrea.............................................................................45
The local ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Addis Ababa..........................................................................48
The imported ceramic artefacts in the National Museum of Addis Ababa...................................................................59
Vessel Stoppers..............................................................................................................................................................65
Metal artefacts...............................................................................................................................................................71
Metal artefacts kept in the National Museum of Eritrea...............................................................................................74
Metal artefacts kept in the National Museum of Addis Ababa.....................................................................................75
Metal artefacts kept in the African Museum in Rome..................................................................................................75
Glass artefacts...............................................................................................................................................................82
Glass artefacts kept in the National Museum of Eritrea................................................................................................83
Glass artefacts kept in the Addis Ababa Museum.........................................................................................................86
Stone artefacts kept in the Addis Ababa Museum.........................................................................................................90
Stone artefacts kept in the British Museum..................................................................................................................90
Shell artefacts and red coral kept in the National Museum of Eritrea..........................................................................96
Bone and ivory artefacts kept in the National Museum of Eritrea................................................................................96
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................................................99
Bibliography.....................................................................................................................................................................101
Primary Sources..........................................................................................................................................................101
Secondary Sources......................................................................................................................................................101
Cartographic Sources..................................................................................................................................................107