c. 50 CE
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea records Indian Ocean routes
Oceans, navigation & cartography · Ocean navigation · Empire, trade & power
Around the mid-first century, an anonymous Greek-speaking merchant described ports, goods, and sailing seasons from the Red Sea to East Africa and India. The text preserves one merchant perspective, yet documents systematic use of monsoons within networks already shared by many peoples.
Precision, calendar, and review
- Start
- year · approximate
- Calendar and convention
- Historical-era years; the source calendar is not identified. No conversion of days is assumed.
- Year zero
- The scale goes from 1 BCE to 1 CE without year zero. Changing era names changes labels only.
- Documentary review
- Date not recorded
Reading the date: point event.
Sources
- 1. periplus.arch.uoa.gr (opens in a new tab)
Source provenance and scope
- Publication date
- Not identified in metadata; document review pending
- Bibliographic date checked
- 2026-09-23
The correspondence between this reference and individual claims has not yet been itemized.
- 2. depts.washington.edu (opens in a new tab)
Source provenance and scope
- Publication date
- Not identified in metadata; document review pending
- Bibliographic date checked
- 2026-09-23
The correspondence between this reference and individual claims has not yet been itemized.
This record is an editorial synthesis. Consult the sources to check claims and their limits. Chronological relationships alone do not establish causation.