Date of the Periplus

Summary

The article revisits the long-debated question of the date of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Greco-Roman account of maritime trade in the Indian Ocean. Earlier scholars placed its composition in the first century A.D., while others argued for the mid‑third century. The author reviews Dr. R.C. Majumdar’s proposal—based partly on Pirenne’s theory—that the Periplus belongs to the third century because it mentions the warlike Bactrians under their own king. He counters by pointing out overlooked evidence: paragraph 48 of the Periplus identifies the city of Ozene (Ujjayini), which archaeological sources associate with the early second century; Ptolemy’s Geography mentions the same city around A.D. 140. He notes that coins and inscriptions show that the Kardamaka Sakas were ruling Ujjain by A.D. 130, consistent with the Periplus’s description of Greek merchants trading there. The article also considers paragraph 47, which refers to Barygaza (Bharuch) and neighbouring states as under separate kings, a situation more plausible in the first century when the Western Kshatrapas had not yet consolidated power. Furthermore, the Periplus’s references to Roman coinage, Indian textiles and spices align with first‑century trade patterns. The author concludes that, while some passages could be interpreted later, the bulk of evidence favours the traditional dating of the Periplus to the late first or early second century A.D. He emphasises that relying solely on archaeological dates without considering the text’s economic descriptions risks misinterpretation.