Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (<a href="/en/Ancient_Greek_language" title="Ancient Greek language" class="mw-redirect wl">Ancient Greek</a>: Περίπλους τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς Θαλάσσης, Períplous tē̂s Erythrâs Thalássēs, modern Greek Períplous tis Erythrás Thalássis), also known by its <a href="/en/Latin" title="Latin" class="wl">Latin</a> name as the Periplus Maris Erythraei, is a <a href="/en/Greco-Roman_world" title="Greco-Roman world" class="wl">Greco-Roman</a> <a href="/en/Periplus" title="Periplus" class="wl">periplus</a> written in <a href="/en/Koine_Greek" title="Koine Greek" class="wl">Koine Greek</a> that describes navigation and <a href="/en/Roman_commerce" title="Roman commerce" class="wl">trading opportunities</a> from <a href="/en/Roman_Egypt" title="Roman Egypt" class="wl">Roman Egyptian</a> ports like <a href="/en/Berenice_Troglodytica" title="Berenice Troglodytica" class="wl">Berenice Troglodytica</a> along the coast of the <a href="/en/Red_Sea" title="Red Sea" class="wl">Red Sea</a>, and others along <a href="/en/Horn_of_Africa" title="Horn of Africa" class="wl">Horn of Africa</a>, the <a href="/en/Persian_Gulf" title="Persian Gulf" class="wl">Persian Gulf</a>, <a href="/en/Arabian_Sea" title="Arabian Sea" class="wl">Arabian Sea</a> and the <a href="/en/Indian_Ocean" title="Indian Ocean" class="wl">Indian Ocean</a>, including the modern-day <a href="/en/Sindh" title="Sindh" class="wl">Sindh</a> region of <a href="/en/Pakistan" title="Pakistan" class="wl">Pakistan</a> and southwestern regions of <a href="/en/India" title="India" class="wl">India</a>.

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">1st century Greco-Roman periplus</div>

<figure class="wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg/450px-Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3507" data-file-height="1921" data-file-type="bitmap" height="246" width="450" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg/675px-Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg/900px-Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg 2x" alt="Map_of_the_Periplus_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.jpg"></a><figcaption>Names, routes and locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea</figcaption></figure>
The text has been ascribed to different dates between the first and third centuries, but a mid-first-century date is now the most commonly accepted. While the author is unknown, it is clearly a first-hand description by someone familiar with the area and is nearly unique in providing accurate insights into what the ancient Hellenic world knew about the lands around the <a href="/en/Indian_Ocean" title="Indian Ocean" class="wl">Indian Ocean</a>.

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , also known by its Latin name as the Periplus Maris Erythraei, is a Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports like Berenice Troglodytica along the coast of the Red Sea, and others along Horn of Africa, the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, including the modern-day Sindh region of Pakistan and southwestern regions of India. The text has been ascribed to different dates between the first and third centuries, but a mid-first-century date is now the most commonly accepted. While the author is unknown, it is clearly a first-hand description by someone familiar with the area and is nearly unique in providing accurate insights into what the ancient Hellenic world knew about the lands around the Indian Ocean. 