| Ancient Opone | |
 | |
| Location | Hafun,Somalia[1] |
| City-state existed: | 1st millennium BC–500 AD |
Opone (Ancient Greek:Ὀπώνη ἐμπόριον) was an ancientseaport andemporium located in present-daySomalia. It is primarily known for its trade with theAncient Egyptians,Romans,Greeks,Persians, and the states ofancient India.[2][3] The historic port has been identified with the city ofHafun through archaeological remains.[4] It is possible that it corresponds to theLand of Punt as known by the ancient Egyptians during theOld,Middle, andNew Kingdom.[5][6][7]
Opone, like other city-states such asAvalites,Malao, andMosylon, came into existence with the collapse of theMacrobian kingdom.[8][9][10]
Pottery found in Oponeantombs date back to theMycenaeanKingdom ofGreece that flourished between the 16th and 11th century BC.[11] Its major periods of activity were during the 1st century BC and the 3rd to the 5th centuries AD.[12] Opone was mentioned by an anonymousGreek merchant in the 1st century ADPeriplus of the Erythraean Sea. The town is featured in the ancient document's thirteenth entry, which in part states:
And then, after sailing four hundredstadia along a promontory, toward which place thecurrent also draws you, there is another market-town called Opone, into which the same things are imported as those already mentioned, and in it, the greatest quantity ofcinnamon is produced, (the arebo and moto), and a great quantity oftortoiseshell, better than that found elsewhere.
Opone served as a port of call for merchants fromPhoenicia,Egypt,Greece,Persia,Yemen,Nabataea,Azania, theRoman Empire and elsewhere,[13] as it sat at a strategic location along the coastal route from theMochan trading center of Azania to theRed Sea. Merchants from as far afield asIndonesia andMalaysia passed through the city, exchanging spices, silks, and other goods, before departing south for Azania or north toYemen orEgypt on thetrade routes that spanned the length of theIndian Ocean's rim. As early as 50 AD, it was well known as a center for thecinnamon trade, along with the barter ofcloves and otherspices,ivory, exoticanimal skins andincense.
Ancient Egyptian,Roman andPersian Gulf pottery has been recovered from the site by anarchaeological team from theUniversity of Michigan. In the 1970s,Neville Chittick, aBritisharchaeologist, initiated the British-Somali expedition where he and hisSomali colleagues encountered remains of ancientdrystone walls, houses withcourtyards, and the location of the oldharbour.
opone punt.