Maritime archaeologists have identified a previously unknown branch of the ancient Lapis Lazuli trade route, linking the Persian Gulf directly to the Horn of Africa during the mid-third millennium BCE. The discovery was made after underwater surveys off the coast of Socotra revealed a shipwreck containing high-purity lapis lazuli fragments and distinctive Mesopotamian pottery. This suggests that ancient mariners were crossing open seas much earlier than previously hypothesized to bypass terrestrial middlemen.
The research, published in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology, indicates that this maritime corridor facilitated the exchange of semi-precious stones for obsidian and aromatic resins. This 'Lapis Route' discovery reshapes our understanding of the complexity of Bronze Age global trade, showing that Eastern African polities were integrated into the vast economic networks of the Indus Valley and Sumerian civilizations.