Talk:Sesea

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

== please watch Roman Trade with Africa DOCUMENTARY==

it explains the entire history of the somali city states barbaroi is the name of the region not the civilization the romans traded with the romans this page contains the information of the civilization the romans traded with the political leadership the geographic etc please watch the youtube video for more information


please watch this youtube video Roman Trade with Africa DOCUMENTARY it talks about the roman trade with the somali city states it includes details of the political makeup geography and port cities this is a genuine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJGnnxPn7SU

No one is going to sit through a 17 minute video to check if it backs up your edits. Please provide references to text sources that can be more easily verified. Moreover, please wait until you've obtained consensus on the talk page before reinstating your edits. Finally, please sign your comments on talk pages with four tildes like this ~~~~ signed, Rosguill talk 23:29, 27 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

An ancient greek document the periplus details the roman and Somali city-state's trade it includes the political makeup of the city-states which were ruled by separate chiefs or Tyranids it also details the market towns and port cities.


the political makeup of the city state according to the document s as follows: This country is not subject to a King, but each market-town is ruled by its separate chief[1]


the political makeup of the city-states according to The peripulus:

The peripulus states that the area was not ruled by an individual king but each port of trade was administrated by a chief or Tyrannida, most of the settlements were inland, each of these port cities had its own distinct character some were unruly to the romans others peaceful depending on the local conditions and the attitude of the local people. [2][3]

here are details of each of the market towns with a little description:

the first of the market towns avalites: The first is called Avalites; to this place the voyage from Arabia to the far-side coast is the shortest. Here there is a small market-town called Avalites, which must be reached by boats and rafts. There are imported into this place, flint glass, assorted; juice of sour grapes from Diospolis; dressed cloth, assorted, made for the Berbers; wheat, wine, and a little tin .[1]

the city state of [[Malao]: After Avalites there is another market-town, better than this, called Malao, After Avalites there is another market-town, better than this, called Malao, distant a sail of about eight hundred stadia. The anchorage is an open road-stead, sheltered by a spit running out from the east. Here the natives are more peaceable.. [1]

the city state of Mundus:Two days’ sail, or three, beyond Malao is the market-town of Mundus, where the ships lie at anchor more safely behind a projecting island close to the shore . [1]


the city state of Mosylon: Beyond Mundus, sailing toward the east, after another two days’ sail, or three, you reach Mosyllum, on a beach, with a bad anchorage.[1]


the city state of Opone : ,there is another market-town called Opone, into which the same things are imported as those already mentioned, and in it the greatest quantity of cinnamon is produced, (the arebo and moto), and slaves of the better sort, which are brought to Egypt in increasing numbers; and a great quantity of tortoise-shell, better than that found elsewhere. [1]

sources: Internet History Sourcebooks https://books.google.no/books?id=nT...AEIKTAA#v=snippet&q=somali&f=false%7Ctitle=Rome


the name of the article is wrong and the article should be called Somali city-states that's where I disagree with the article other than that most of the article is genuine history --Yacoob316 (talk) 13:02, 29 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Yacoob316, it's very hard to follow your arguments above, and all of the links you've provided as references are giving me 404 errors. Please try to be more concise and provide working citations. signed, Rosguill talk 21:56, 21 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

sorry, the point I am trying to make is that the barbary city-states are a real civilization that the Romans had traded with and that most of the information on the page is backed up by ancient sources. Such as the ancient greek document the periplus which details the roman and city-state's trade it includes the political makeup of the city-states which were ruled by separate chiefs or Tyranids it also details the market towns and port cities.

the political makeup of the city-state according to the document s as follows: This country is not subject to a King, but each market-town is ruled by its separate chiefs [4]


here are details of each of the market towns with a little description: the first of the market towns avalites: The first is called Avalites; to this place the voyage from Arabia to the far-side coast is the shortest. Here there is a small market-town called Avalites, which must be reached by boats and rafts. There are imported into this place, flint glass, assorted; juice of sour grapes from Diospolis; dressed cloth, assorted, made for the Berbers; wheat, wine, and a little tin the city-state of [[Malao]: After Avalites there is another market-town, better than this, called Malao, After Avalites there is another market-town, better than this, called Malao, distant a sail of about eight hundred stadia. The anchorage is an open road-stead, sheltered by a spit running out from the east. Here the natives are more peaceable.. [1] the city-state of Mundus:Two days’ sail, or three, beyond Malao is the market-town of Mundus, where the ships lie at anchor more safely behind a projecting island close to the shore. the city-state of Mosylon: Beyond Mundus, sailing toward the east, after another two days’ sail, or three, you reach Mosyllum, on a beach, with a bad anchorage the city-state of Opone : , there is another market-town called Opone, into which the same things are imported as those already mentioned, and in it the greatest quantity of cinnamon is produced, (the arebo and moto), and slaves of the better sort, which are brought to Egypt in increasing numbers; and a great quantity of tortoise-shell, better than that found elsewhere.

sources: Making Sense of Somali History: Volume 1 By Abdullahi, Abdurahman https://books.google.no/books?id=X1...AGsQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=Opone somali&f=false [4]

again the name of the article should be changed to barbary city-states that's the only thing I disagree with in the page other than that most of the page is genuine history --Yacoob316 (talk) 14:59, 23 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Yacoob316, the links that you've provided above are not working for me. I'm also not sure I follow what you're proposing. Which article are you proposing be renamed Barbary city-states? This page is currently a redirect. Moreover, you should be aware that ancient historical texts are not directly usable as secondary sources on Wikipedia, we need to rely on more recent scholarship to write articles. signed, Rosguill talk 20:46, 3 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

the first link i provided for the peripulous is The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century by Wilfred Harvey the link[4] second link i provided is from Abdullahi, Abdurahman Making Sense of Somali History: Volume 1 the link {{cite web|https://books.google.no/books?id=X1dDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA48&dq=city+states+Opone+sarapion&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjEqsSV3ujpAhXusYsKHSEwBmoQ6AEIOTAC#v=onepage&q=city states Opone sarapion&f=false

and yes am proposing a name change to Barbary city-states and the modern scholarly source i can provide is from Raoul McLaughlin an Irish scholar with a research interest in the economic role of distant trade in the Roman imperial period Raoul McLaughlin also confirms what the peripulus states, that the area was not ruled by an individual king but each port of trade was administrated by a chief or Tyrannida. he also provides information on the different trade towns of the barbary city-states such as Botiala, Zeila,[[Malao],Mosylon,Mundus,Opone, and Sarapion in which he goes into detail about the different goods and products that were sold and bought in the towns.

the links to Raoul McLaughlin references [5]

based on the information above I'm proposing a name change to barbary city-states for this page --Yacoob316 (talk) 18:34, 4 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Yacoob316, I think it would be best if you just draft an article at Draft:Barbary city-states and submit it through AfC. signed, Rosguill talk 22:12, 4 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Sesea is not a city but a tribe...[edit]

Here is the original Aksumite inscription known as the Momentenum Adulatinum noted by Cosmos:

". . . and after I had commanded the peoples near my country to maintain the peace, I entered valiantly into battle and subdued the following peoples; I fought the Gaze, then the Agame and the Siguene, and, having conquered, I reserved for myself half of their lands and their peoples. The Aua and Singabene and Aggabe and Tiamaa and Athagaous and Kalaa and the Samene people who live beyond the Nile in inaccessible mountains covered with snow where tempests and cold are continuous and the snow so deep that a man sinks up to the knees, I reduced to submission after having crossed the river; then the Lasine, and Zaa and Gabala, who inhabit very steep mountains where hot springs rise and flow; and the Atalmo and the Beja and all the people who erect their tents with them. Having defeated the Taggaiton who dwell up to the frontiers of Egypt I had a road constructed going from the lands of my empire to Egypt.

Then I fought the Annine and the Metine who live on precipitous mountains as well as the people of Sesea. They took refuge on an inaccessible peak, but I besieged them on all sides and captured them, and chose among them young men and women, boys and virgins. I retained also their goods.

I defeated also the barbarian people of Rauso who live by the aromatics trade, in immense plains without water, and the Solate, whom I also defeated, imposing on them the task of guarding the sea-lanes.

After I had vanquished and conquered, in battles wherein I personally took part, all these peoples so well protected by their impenetrable mountains, I restricted myself to imposing tribute on them and voluntarily returning their lands. But most peoples submitted of their own free will and paid me tribute.

I sent an expedition by sea and land against the peoples living on the other side of the Erythraean Sea, that is the Arabitas and the Kinaidokolpitas, and after subjugating their kings I commanded them to pay me tribute and charged them with guaranteeing the security of communications on land and sea. I conducted war from Leuke Kome to the land of the Sabaeans.

I am the first and only of the kings my predecessors to have subdued all these peoples by the grace given me by my mighty god Ares, who also engendered me. It is through him that I have submitted to my power all the peoples neighbouring my empire, in the east to the Land of Aromatics, to the west to the land of Ethiopia and the Sasou; some I fought myself, against others I sent my armies.

When I had re-established peace in the world which is subject to me I came to Adulis to sacrifice for the safety of those who navigate on the sea, to Zeus, Ares and Poseidon. After uniting and reassembling my armies I set up here this throne and consecrated it to Ares, in the twenty-seventh year of my reign.

The 8th to 10th century manuscripts in which this inscription is preserved have some explanatory glosses about some of these names; thus Gaze apparently means the Aksumites, still called Agaze, the Siguene are the Suskinitai, the tribes near Adulis are called the Tigretes (the earliest mention of Tigray?), the Tiamaa are the Tziamo and Gambela, the Atalmo and Beja are the Blemmyes, the Taggaitai (Tangaitai) are also called Attabite.. and Adra..s, the Sesea are tribes of Barbaria, the Solate are those living by the sea in Barbaria, called the Tigretai of the coast in Barbaria, and Sasou is the furthest part of Ethiopia, beyond which lies the ocean and the Barbareotes who traffic in incense (Huntingford 1989: 43). - Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity by Stuart Munro-Hay, page 187


The unnamed Aksumite Emperor who had this originally inscripted and then finally had it copied down in Greek was not talking about a city but a "Berber"/ "Barbarian" tribe among others that he had supposedly conquered and judging by the geography it seems to correspond best with the Afar triangle which would be within the Northwestern Somali coast line area but not exactly there plus it is noted in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea that most of the ancient cities on the Northern Somali coast (perhaps not Avalites though...) are independent and ruled by their own "Chiefs" (source, end of entry 14) Awale-Abdi (talk) 00:04, 3 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move 29 October 2019[edit]

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: No consensus. (non-admin closure) Cwmhiraeth (talk) 11:54, 6 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]



SeseaSesea Confederacy – Indicopleustes, whilst deciphering an ancient description referred to the various tribes under Sesea as disparate. Similarly, The Perplus book also states that each coastal city had their own unique ruler - as such it couldn't have been a kingdom; (source). 92.10.234.151 (talk) 20:22, 29 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Also can we move a somalia city states to this article they are both talking about the same confederacy Kndnm64 (talk) 13:51, 3 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That sounds more like a merge request than a move. Which articles contain this content presently? Andrewa (talk) 02:53, 6 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. Unnecessary disambiguation. Andrewa (talk) 02:50, 6 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

This article "Maritime history of Somalia"

has a section on barabara city states 

Would be better to merge that with this article

Kndnm64 (talk) 13:05, 6 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Merger proposal[edit]

Merger proposal[edit]

I propose to merge Maritime history of Somalia Into sesea. I think that the content in the maritime history of somalia article can easily be explained in the context of sesea as the article contains the broader context and information of somali city states as its known or sesea confederation as it's called in this article so a merger would be useful to this article


is of a reasonable size that the merging of Foo will not cause any problems as far as article size is concerned. Kndnm64 (talk) 08:55, 11 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

  1. ^ a b c d e f {{cite book|url=https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/periplus.asp%7Ctitle=The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea:Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century|first= Paul |last=Halsall|date=26 Jan 1996 }
  2. ^ McLaughlin, Raoul (2014-09-11). The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient World Economy and the Kingdoms of Africa, Arabia and India. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-78346-381-7.
  3. ^ McLaughlin, Raoul (2010-05-06). Rome and the Distant East: Trade Routes to the ancient lands of Arabia, India and China. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4411-6223-6.
  4. ^ a b c Schoff, Wilfred Harvey (1912). The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century. London, Bombay & Calcutta. Retrieved 7 June 2016. {{cite book}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ McLaughlin, Raoul (2010-05-06). Rome and the Distant East: Trade Routes to the ancient lands of Arabia, India and China. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4411-6223-6.