c. 50 CE–c. 200 CE
The *Periplus of the Erythraean Sea* and western Indian Ocean circuits
Trade & global routes · Redes marítimas · Puertos · Textos de navegación · Intermediarios
The *Periplus*, a text from the early imperial period, describes ports, routes, and exchange possibilities from Roman Egypt through the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa, Arabia, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. It is a Greek-speaking mercantile perspective, not a neutral or exhaustive map of every connected society; it records selective practical information and does not demonstrate Roman control over networks sustained by African, Arabian, and South Asian navigators and authorities.
Precision, calendar, and review
- Start
- year · approximate
- End
- 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: duration of a process.
Sources
- 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.
This record is an editorial synthesis. Consult the sources to check claims and their limits. Chronological relationships alone do not establish causation.