The Date of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

Summary

The article "The Date of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea" re‑examines the dating of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, an anonymous Greek travelogue describing maritime trade between the Red Sea, Arabia, India and East Africa. Scholars have long assumed that the Periplus was composed in the mid‑first century AD and have cited references to Roman rulers and trade patterns to support dates between 40 and 60 AD. Early in the nineteenth century, the French orientalist Marcel‑Toussaint Reinaud suggested a third‑century date, but his view found few followers. Using a critical edition of the Periplus by Hjalmar Frisk and recent discussions by Madam J. Pirenne, the author compares the geographical knowledge of the Periplus with that of Ptolemy’s Geography and notes that the Periplus depicts India as a peninsula, gives a single name for China and correctly extends the African coast beyond Azania. Such precision implies that the Periplus post‑dates Ptolemy. The article evaluates historical allusions in the text: the Axumite ruler Zoscales is examined against the known chronology of Ethiopian kings, and Pirenne’s argument that Axumite coins first appear in the late second century AD is weighed. The Nabataean king Malichus, the Parthian princes who control the Indus delta and the enigmatic merchant‑ruler "Nambanus" are discussed. Many identifications used to support a first‑century date are shown to be tenuous; conversely, the numismatic and epigraphic evidence for a later context is found persuasive. The author concludes that the Periplus most plausibly belongs to the third century AD, although the question remains open and further study of coins and texts is encouraged.