Periplus Maris Erythraei

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Names, places and sea routes of the Periplus
Map on the Periplus from the Theatrum orbis terrarum by Abraham Ortelius (1597)

Periplus Maris Erythraei (Latin for "coastal navigation of the Red Sea"; in theoriginalGreektitle Περίπλους τῆς Ἐρυθράς Θαλάσσης ) is anEgyptian-Romanwork on the subject of seafaring. The book, which dates back to the 1st century AD, describes ports, trading conditions and flows of goods along the routes ofIndia trade(Roman-Indian relations) on the Northeast African, Arab and Indian coasts, which is why it is used for research into theeconomic historyandgeography ofEast Africa and the regions of Asia described inancient times representa source of the first order. It is thematically unique within all of the ancient literature that has been handed down. A copy from the 10th century is nowkeptinHeidelberg.

The work was apparently written down by an experienced traveling salesman between 40 and 70 AD. The author of the text, written in Greek , is familiar with the then Egyptian capital Alexandria . The Roman province of Aegyptus was at the center of a flourishing long-distance trade at that time.

In contrast to other periploi of antiquity, sea route descriptions along the coastline, the Periplus Maris Erythraei provides much more information. The most important cargo items are listed port by port with accounting accuracy and the opportunities and risks of the local goods trade are assessed. The writer particularly goes into the needs, preferences and tastes of the customers and gives advice on the quantity, quality and equipment of the goods that can be sold in the various ports.

Popular goods from the Roman world were, for example, food, wine , horses , metal goods and textiles, but also luxury goods such as jewelry , glass , pearls and cosmetics . In exchange, the cargo ships loaded spices , silk or precious stones. In contrast to usual travel and experience reports, the author concentrates entirely on the current market policy aspects of his time, which were of importance for the domestic shipowners.

literature

  • Lionel Casson: The Periplus Maris Erythraei. Text with introduction, translation, and commentary. Princeton University Press, Princeton et al. a. 1989, ISBN 0-691-04060-5 .
  • G. W. B. Huntingford (Ed.): The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea by an unknown author. With some extracts from Agatharkhidēs "On the Erythraean sea" (= Works issued by the Hakluyt Society . 2. ser. 151). Hakluyt Society , London 1980, ISBN 0-904180-05-0 .
  • Wilfred H. Schoff: The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century. Longmans, Green, and Co., New York 1912.
  • B. Fabricius (Ed.): The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea from an unknown. Greek and German with critical and explanatory notes and a complete vocabulary. Veit, Leipzig 1883 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Periplus Maris Erythraei  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Paul Yule: Himyar – Spätantike im Yemen / Late Antique Yemen. Linden Soft, Aichwald 2007, ISBN 3-929290-35-9 , p. 21.
  2. ↑ "just as Alexandria now receives the things brought both from abroad and from Egypt": §26 of the English translation; see English translation on washington.edu