Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Eleven

Updated 03/11/2024

The anonymous sailor had reached Mosyllum or the modern day Bosaso on the Horn of Africa. Look at his voyage beyond Bosaso, on the western shore of Gulf of Aden:

Sailing along the coast beyond Mosyllum, after two days' course you come to the so called Little Nile River, and a fine spring, and a small laurel grove and Cape Elephant. Then the shore recedes into a bay, and has a river called Elephant, and a large laurel grove called  Accana; where alone is produced the far-side frankincense, in great quantity and of best grade.

My Search:-

1. Little Nile River: Also known as Atbara River, and Small Nile; rises on Ethiopian Highlands and joins Nile near Atbara, Sudan. Neiloptolemaiu is the Greek word for little Nile River, and Tapatege for a fine spring.

2. Cape Elephant refers to the tip of the Horn; the word elephant is used to denote the size of land jutting into the sea. Cape Elephas is the Koine Greek term.

3. Accana is believed to be on the coast of Yemen facing the Horn, and its lush green was landmark for the merchants.

End of the Section 


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