Horn of Africa Himyarite Kingdom. Under Ezana (fl. 320–360), the kingdom of Aksum became the first major empire to adopt Christianity, and was named by Mani as one of the four great powers of his time, along with Persia, Rome and China. Northern Somalia was an important link in the Horn, connecting the region's commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Somali sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, all of which were valuable luxuries to the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans, Babylonians and Romans. The Romans consequently began to refer to the region as "Regio Aromatica". In
Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa Horn of Africa, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, North Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. On 21 January 2006, , an "Arleigh Burke"-class destroyer, captured a vessel operating off the Somali coast whose crew were suspected of piracy. On 18 March 2006, , a "Ticonderoga"-class cruiser and , an "Arleigh Burke"-class destroyer, engaged pirate vessels after receiving fire from them. On 3 June 2007, , a landing ship dock, engaged pirates attacking a freighter, but failed to repel them. On 28 October 2007, the destroyer , opened fire on pirates who had captured a freighter and with other vessels