Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
Periplo del mar Eritreo
- Date
- c. 60 (entre 40 y 70) · confidence medium
- Place
- Berenice Troglodytica, Red Sea, Egypt
- Credited to
- Anonymous Greco-Egyptian merchant
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
A sailing guide by a merchant describing ports, routes, goods and rulers from the Red Sea to East Africa and India, explaining the use of the monsoons. It is the best direct source on Roman trade with the Indian Ocean.
It is usually dated between AD 40 and 70, but some authors propose the 3rd century; the author is anonymous and the place of writing (near Berenice) is a conjecture.
What it led to
- knowledge of ports such as Muziris, Barygaza and Rhapta
- a basis for the Indian Ocean geography of later authors such as Ptolemy