Port Dunford

Port Dunford
Archaeological site
Country

 Somalia

Region Lower Juba
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)

Port Dunford, also known as Bur Gao, is an archaeological site in the southern Lower Juba region of Somalia.

Overview

Main article: Somali architecture

Port Dunford is believed to correspond with the ancient emporium of Nikon, which is described in the 1st century CE Greco-Roman travelogue the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.[1]

The site contains a number of ancient ruins, including several pillar tombs. Prior to its collapse, one these structures' pillars stood 11 meters high from the ground, making it the tallest tower of its kind in the wider region.[2]

Additionally, the area features a square edifice covered with a low, dome-shaped vault. It is one of the main local standing structures.[3]

In 1913, Haywood reportedly found at Port Dunford a large collection of old coins, along with a vessel similar to a Greek amphora.[4] He later disposed of the amphora pieces,[5] and the vessel was also said to have been crushed during a storm.[4] In 1930, Hayward showed the coins to an official with the British Museum, H. Mattingly.[4] 87 pieces in total, they ranged in date from the 3rd century BCE to the early 4th century CE. Among the coins were 17 copper mints from the Ptolemy III to Ptolemy V dynasties of Ptolemaic Egypt, five pieces of uncertain origin dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries BCE, six pieces that had been minted under Imperial Rome between the reigns of Nero and Antoninus Pius, forty-six coins ranging from Roman Emperors Maximinus II to Constans, six mints derived from the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate, and seven pieces from Ottoman Egypt.[5][6]

Based on the archaeological finds, Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested that Port Dunford was likely a trading station from at least the Roman period. In 1955, he and Dr. A.G. Mathew in turn visited the area. They discovered porcelain, pottery and building remains dating from the 16th century onwards.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mokhtar, G. (1990). Ancient Civilizations of Africa. University of California Press. p. 311. ISBN 0520066979. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Hussein Mohamed Adam, Charles Lee Geshekter (ed.) (1992). The Proceedings of the First International Congress of Somali Studies. Scholars Press. p. 106. ISBN 0891306587. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Petersen, Andrew (2002). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Routledge. p. 262. ISBN 1134613660. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Mokhtar, G. (1990). Ancient Civilizations of Africa. University of California Press. p. 307. ISBN 0520066979. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Discovering Africa's Past. Uganda Museum. 1959. p. 5. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Hildegard Temporini (ed.) (1978). Politische Geschichte: (Provinzien und Randvölker: Mesopotamien, Armenien, Iran, Südarabien, Rom und der Ferne Osten)], Part 2, Volume 9. Walter de Gruyter. p. 977. ISBN 3110071754. Retrieved 1 November 2014.