A Study of Anthropological and Ethnographical Information in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

Abstract

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a vital treatise, which transmits a plethora of information on various aspects mainly focusing on trade and commerce. It also states about the initiation of a whole race towards new fields of geographical discovery and commercial accomplishment. A considerable amount of information on trade liaisons between the Roman world and India is provided in this anonymous treatise written in Greek. The text is also packed with helpful details of trade routes and useful instructions on sailing including information on ports, import and export articles available in them, political set-up and of natives in and around the markets and ports. The substance in the Periplus text is directly or indirectly connected with the anthropological and ethnographical information. The author himself appears to be a merchant sailor, and his audience could possibly be people involved in the same profession or at least those who are interested in exacting profit through trading in the region. However, the existing scholarship so far has shown little or no interest in discussing the anthropological or ethnographical aspects of the treatise. The objective of the present study is, therefore, to examine the role of the anthropological and ethnographical information encapsulated in the Periplus Maris Erythrae. Thus, the customs and dispositions of various port communities and trading communities will be observed with a view to understand how they were affected by the commercial activities in the region on one hand and how their customs and dispositions affected the commercial activities on the other. These observations are also conducted to understand the Periplus author’s motive behind including such anthropological and ethnographical information. Accordingly, this study will also shed a new light on the purpose of its compilation which is also a matter of scholarly debate.