Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
An anonymous Greek-speaking author from Roman Egypt, probably a merchant, wrote a practical guide to the ports, rulers and goods of the Red Sea, the coast of East Africa, Arabia and western India, showing how the sea trade linked the Roman world with the Indian Ocean.
- Date
- 40s … 70sexact date unknown: an interval is given
- Place
- Berenice Troglodyticatoday: near Berenice, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt · Middle East and Egypt
- Route
- Myos Hormos → Berenice Troglodytica → Ocelis → Muziris
- Participants
- Roman Empire, Nabataean Kingdom, Kingdom of Aksum
- Threads
- Middle East and Egypt (1st–5th c.)
- Also known as
- Periplus Maris Erythraei; Periplus of the Red Sea
The Periplus opens with the Egyptian Red Sea ports of Myos Hormos and Berenice and follows two routes. One runs down the African coast past Adulis, the port of the Axumites, to Rhapta, “the very last port of trade on the coast of Azania”. The other runs along Arabia — past the Nabataean harbour of Leuke Kome, linked by road with Petra, and the realm of King Charibael — to the ports of western India such as Barygaza and Muziris. For each market the author lists what could be bought and sold, from African ivory and tortoiseshell to Italian wine, and he credits the helmsman Hippalus with discovering the direct route to India across the open sea.
The author is unknown and the date is debated. Most scholars place the text in the middle or second half of the 1st century: around 60 (W. H. Schoff), between 40 and 70 (L. Casson, J. Hill) or in the 70s (M. D. Bukharin); dates from the late 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD have also been proposed. One anchor is the Nabataean king Malichus named in the text, identified with Malichus II (40–70).
Connections
Includes
- Adulis and Aksum in the Periplus40s … 70s · Africathe Periplus describes Adulis and the realm of Zoskales
Related events
- Heyday of Indo-Roman trade: Muziris and Arikameduc. 30 BC – c. 250 · South Asiathe Periplus describes the ports of India, among them Muziris
- Death of Antinous and founding of AntinoöpolisOctober 130 · Middle East and Egyptthe Via Hadriana linked Antinoöpolis with Berenice, the Red Sea port described in the Periplus
- Ptolemy’s Geographyc. 150 · Middle East and EgyptPtolemy’s map carries the sea route of the Periplus beyond India to the Golden Chersonese and Cattigara
Same participants
- Aretas IV and the height of Petra9 BC – AD 40 · Middle East and Egyptvia Nabataean Kingdom
- Roman–Bosporan War45–49 · Eastern Europevia Roman Empire
- Roman–Parthian War of 58–6358–63 · Middle East and Egyptvia Roman Empire
- Roman annexation of Nabataea106 · Middle East and Egyptvia Nabataean Kingdom
Adjacent events in the thread
- Crucifixion of Jesusbetween 30 and 33 · Middle East and Egypt
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within a year of this event
Western and Central Europe
- Boudica’s revoltbetween 60 and 61
- Roman conquest of Britain43 – between 83 and 84
- Great Fire of Rome19 July 64 – c. 27 July 64
- Martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Romebetween 64 and 68
- Nero crowns Tiridates I in Rome66
+ 3 events
Eastern Europe
- The Alans appear on the Don and in the North Caucasusbetween 50 and 72
- Plautius Silvanus lifts the Scythian siege of Chersonesusbetween 61 and 66
- Roman–Bosporan War45–49
- Zarubintsy culturec. 200 BC – c. 200
Balkans and Anatolia
- Dioscorides’ De materia medicabetween 50 and 70
- Missionary journeys of Paulc. 46 – between 57 and 58
- Thrace becomes a Roman province46
Africa
- Adulis and Aksum in the Periplus40s … 70s
- Nero’s expedition to the sources of the Nilebetween 61 and 62
- Roman annexation of Mauretania40 – between 42 and 44
- Temple of Apedemak at Naqabetween 1 BC and AD 70
Central and Northern Asia
- The burials of Tillya Tepe (the Bactrian Gold)between 16 and 100
- The Xiongnu split into Northern and Southern48
- Kujula Kadphises founds the Kushan Empirebetween 20 and 50
- Ban Chao’s campaigns in the Tarim Basin73–102
South Asia
- Kushans conquer Gandhara and Taxilabetween 50 and 70
- Apostle Thomas in India (tradition)52 (?)
- Gandharan art: the first images of the Buddhabetween 30 BC and AD 100
- Reign of Gondophares, founder of the Indo-Parthian kingdombetween 19 and 20 – c. 46
- Gautamiputra Satakarni defeats Nahapanabetween 71 and 130
+ 1 event
East Asia
Southeast Asia and Oceania
- Founding of Funan: Kaundinya and Queen Liuyebetween 1 and 100
- Trưng sisters’ rebellionMarch 40 – 43
- Óc Eo, the port of Funanbetween 1 and 100 – between 601 and 700
- Sa Huỳnh culturec. 1000 BC – c. 200
North America
- Hopewell traditionbetween 200 and 100 BC – c. 500
- Late Basketmaker II erac. 50 – c. 500
Latin America
- Monte Albán II: the Zapotec state expandsc. 100 BC – c. 200
- Rise of Teotihuacanc. 1 – c. 250
- Nazca culture and the Nazca Linesbetween 200 and 100 BC – between 500 and 800
The same period
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
- Wikipedia (English): Malichus II
- Wikipedia (Russian): Перипл Эритрейского моря
- Wikipedia (Russian): Малику II
- The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, tr. W. H. Schoff (1912)
- Casson L. The Periplus Maris Erythraei: Text with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary. — Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.
- Бухарин М. Д. Неизвестного автора «Перипл Эритрейского моря»: текст, перевод, комментарий, исследования. — СПб.: Алетейя, 2007.
- Wikidata: Q664162