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Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

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The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (Periplus Maris Erythraei) is a Greek periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports like Berenice along the coast of the Red Sea, and others along East Africa and India. The text has been ascribed to different dates between the 1st and 3rd century CE, but a mid first century date is now the most commonly accepted. Although the author is unknown, it is clearly a firsthand description by someone familiar with the area, and is nearly unique in providing accurate insights into what the ancient world knew about the lands around the Indian Ocean.

Although the "Erythraean Sea" is generally held to be the ancient term for the Red Sea, to the Greeks it included the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.

Overview

The work consists of 66 chapters, most of them about the length of a long paragraph in English. For instance, the short Chapter 9 reads in its entirety:

"From Malao (Berbera) it is two courses to the mart of Moundou, where ships anchor more safely by an island lying very close to the land. The imports to this are as aforesaid [Chapter 8 mentions iron, gold, silver, drinking cups, etc], and from it likewise are exported the same goods [Chapter 8 mentions myrrh, douaka, makeir, and slaves], and fragrant gum called mokrotou. The inhabitants who trade here are more peaceful."

In many cases the description of places is sufficiently accurate to identify their present locations; for others there is considerable debate. For instance, a "Rhapta" is mentioned as the farthest market down the African coast of "Azania", but there at least five locations matching the description, ranging from Tanga south to the Rufiji River delta. The description of the Indian coast mentions the Ganges River clearly, yet after that is somewhat garbled, describing China as a "great inland city Thina" that is a source of raw silk.

Another interesting feature of the Periplus is that some of the words describing trade goods are seen nowhere else in ancient literature, and so we can only guess as to what they might mean. The Periplus also describes how Hippalus first discovered the direct route from the Red Sea to southern India.

The text derives from a Byzantine 10th century manuscript in minuscule hand, contained in the collections of the University Library of Heidelberg (CPG 398: 40v-54v) and a copy of it dating from the 14th or 15th century in the British Museum (B.M. Add 19391 9r-12r). In the 10th century manuscript the text is attributed to Arrian, probably for no deeper reason than that the manuscript was adjacent to the Periplus Pontus Euxini written by him. The Periplus was first published in a modern edition by Sigismund Gelenius in 1553.

Aksum

Aksum is mentioned in the Periplus as an important market place for ivory, which was exported throughout the ancient world:

According to the Periplus, the ruler of Aksum in the 1st century CE was Zoscales, who, besides ruling in Aksum also held under his sway two habours on the Red Sea: Adulis (near Massawa) and Avalites (Assab). He is also said to have been familiar with Greek literature:

Himyarite kingdom and Saba (Arabia)

Ships from Himyar regularly traveled the East African coast. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describes the trading empire of Himyar and Saba, regrouped under a single ruler Charibael (Karab Il Watar Yuhan'em II), who is said to have been on friendly terms with Rome:

Frankincense kingdom

The Frankincense kingdom is described further east along the southern coast of the Arabian peninsula, with the harbour of Cana (South Arabic "Qana", modern Bir Ali). The ruler of this kingdom is named Eleazus, or Eleazar, thought to correspond to king Iliazz Yalit I:

Barigaza (India)

Trade with the Indian harbour of Barigaza is described extensively in the Periplus. Nahapana, ruler of the Indo-Scythian Western Satraps is mentioned under the name Nambanus, as ruler of the area around Barigaza:

Under the Western Satraps, Barigaza was one of the main centers of Roman trade with India. The Periplus describes the many goods exchanged:

Goods were also brought down in quantity from Ujjain, the capital of the Western Satraps:

Muziris (India)

Muziris is a lost port city in south India, which was a major center of trade, pepper and other spices, metal work and semiprecious stones, with the Roman Empire.

The widely accepted theory states it to be the Musiri, upstream river Kaveri, near the ancient capital of Cheras, Karur in Tamil Nadu. Roman coins and amphorae are found in abundance alongwith Chera-Roman collaborative mint. Also noteworthy are the Beryls and other semi-precious stones and metal work in the region as described by Periplus. Salem steel, antimony and lead in Egypt also confirms this to be an even more ancient port. The distance between Musiri and the sea is around 500 stadia as Periplus accounts.

The second, controversial theory states from the hoards of coins and shards of amphorae found in the town of Pattanam, elicited recent archeological interest as a probable location of this mythical port city. Today this place is called Kodungalloor.

According to the Periplus, numerous Greek seamen managed an intense trade with Muziris:

Remains of the Indo-Greek kingdom

The Periplus describes numerous Greek buildings and fortifications in Barigaza, although mistakenly attributing them to Alexander the Great, who never went this far south. If true, this account would relate to the remains of the southern expansion of the Indo-Greeks into Gujerat:

The Periplus further testifies to the circulation of Indo-Greek coinage in the region:

The Greek city of Alexandria Bucephalous on the Jhelum river is mentionned in the Periplus, as well as in the Roman Peutinger Table:

Notes

References

  • Lionel Casson, The Periplus Maris Erythraei: Text With Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (Princeton University Press, 1989) ISBN 0-691-04060-5
  • Chami, F. A. 1999. “The Early Iron Age on Mafia island and its relationship with the mainland.” Azania Vol. XXXIV 1999, pp. 1-10.
  • Chami, Felix A. 2002. “The Graeco-Romans and Paanchea/Azania: sailing in the Erythraean Sea”. From: Red Sea Trade and Travel. The British Museum. Organised by The Society for Arabian Studies.
  • Dihle, A. 1965. Umstrittene Daten - Untersuchungen zum Auftreten der Griechen am Roten Meer, Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Für Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen. Köln und Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag.
  • The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, transl. G.W.B. Huntingford (Hakluyt Society, 1980) ISBN 0-904180-05-0 (also includes translation of Red Sea material from Agatharchides)
  • Hjalmar Frisk, Le Périple de la Mer Erythrée (Göteborg, 1927)
  • Miller, J. Innes. 1969. The Spice Trade of The Roman Empire: 29 B.C. to A.D. 641. Oxford University Press. Special edition for Sandpiper Books. 1998. ISBN 0-19-814264-1.
  • Fussman, G. 1991. Le Periple et l'histoire politique del'Inde Journal Asiatique 279 (1991):31-38.
  • The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, transl. Wilfred Schoff (1912, reprinted South Asia Books 1995) ISBN 81-215-0699-9
  • Robin, C. 1991. L'Arabie du sud et la date du Périple de la mer érythrée. Journal Asiatique 279:1-30.
  • Dr. Nagaswamy, R. 1995 Roman Karur. Brahadish Publications. http://tamilartsacademy.com/books/roman%20karur/cover.html

External links

  • "The present text has been digitalized from the translation of William H. Schoff, The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1912). Some additional commentary including alternate spellings or translations from Lionel Casson’s more recent edition are given in square brackets."
  • Ancient history sourcebook: e-text Periplus of the Erythraean Sea This is the basic text from Schoff's 1912 translation.



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