Hafun has been identified as the ancient trading port of Opone, which was described in the 1st century CE Greek travelogue the "Periplus of the Erythraean Sea". Pottery found by an expedition led by Neville Chittick, in Oponean tombs at Damo, date back to the Mycenaean kingdom of Greece that flourished between the 16th century BC. Merchants from as far afield as Indonesia and Malaysia in the Far East also passed through the settlement. By the 50 CE, the area was well known as a centre for the cinnamon trade, along with the barter of cloves and other spices, ivory, exotic animal hides, and incense. It also traded in tortoiseshells.