| Ancient Essina | |
 | |
| Location | Somalia |
| City-state existed: | 1st century AD |
Essina (Ancient Greek:Εσσίνα) was an ancientemporium located on the southeastern coast of present-daySomalia in theHorn of Africa.[1]
Having risen to prominence in the 2nd century CE, Essina was mentioned inPtolemy'sGeographia. Several modern scholars have positioned the ancient harbour in the vicinity of theearly medieval cities ofMerca andBarawa in modern-day southernSomalia based on Ptolemy's work. Alternatively, it has been suggested that Essina was buried somewhere along theBenadir coast. However, due to a general lack of excavations in the area, the old city's exact geographical location is unknown.[2]