OCELIS
OCELIS (
Ὄκηλις ἐμπόριον), a port of Arabia Felix, placed by Ptolemy (
1.7.4,
1.15.11,
6.7.7,
8.22.7) a little to the north of the straits of the Red Sea (
Bab-el-Mandeb). Its geographical position, according to his system, was as follows: Its longest day was 1211 hours.
It was 1′ east of Alexandria, between the tropics, 52° 30′ removed from the summer tropic.
It is placed by the author of the Periplus 300 stadia from Musa, and is identical with the modern
Ghella or
Cella, which has a bay immediately within the straits, the entrance to which is two miles wide, and its depth little short of three. (Vincent,
Periplus, p. 288; Forster,
Arabia, vol. ii. p. 148.) Ocelis, according to the Periplus, was not so much a port as an anchorage and watering-place.
It belonged to the Elisari, and was subject to Cholebus. (Hudson,
Geog. Min. tom. i. p. 14;
Ptol. 6.7.7.)
The same author places it 1200 stadia from Arabia Felix (
Aden); but the distance is two short. (Gosselin,
Récherches, tom. iii. p. 9.)
[
G.W]
