The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a short work of uncertain date and unknown authorship, written in very difficult Greek. It is concerned with the coasts of the Red Sea and -Indian Ocean and may be described as a combined trade directory and Admiralty Handbook, giving sailing directions and information about navigational hazards, harbours, imports and exports. It is of great value for the study of the commerce of the Roman Empire and the early history of East Africa, South Arabia and India. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1980.

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a short work of uncertain date and unknown authorship, written in very difficult Greek. It is concerned with the coasts of the Red Sea and |Indian Ocean and may be described as a combined trade directory and Admiralty Handbook, giving sailing directions and information about navigational hazards, harbours, imports and exports. It is of great value for the study of the commerce of the Roman Empire and the early history of East Africa, South Arabia and India. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1980.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The port of Adulis was one of greatest significance in Antiquity. It is best known for its role in Aksumite trade during the fourth - seventh centuries AD. However it is also a major port of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , a sailors' hand-book of the first century AD. Not only did it offer a good harbour on the route to India, but it was a source for luxuries such as ivory, tortoise-shell and rhinoceros horn. The site was first identified by Henry Salt, in 1810, but there have always been a number of problems, both chronological and topographical with the identification. Firstly, the surface pottery is late in date and accords with Aksumitic importance rather than the Roman. Secondly, Adulis is referred to as a port, but it is today 7 km from the sea. The Periplus refers to an island approached by a causeway, which suggested to some that the site was originally at Massawa, 60 km to the north, a town which today comprises islands connected by causeways. The work of Cosmas Indicopleustes 'Christian Topography' written in the 6th Century AD mentions two other places, Gabaza and Samidi, which have never been identified. The fieldwork on which this book is based resolves these issues. It is suggested that Roman Adulis underlies the Aksumite city. Also the pottery and structures on the Galala hills to the south, show that this was almost certainly 'the site of Aksumite Gabaza. However, off the seaward end of the hills is a rock which would have been a small island in Roman times and on it was a scatter of 1st century AD Roman wine amphorae (Dressel 2-4). The Periplus tells us that ships used to moor of Diodorus Island which was connected to the mainland by a causeway, but was later moved to an island called Oreinê (hilly) for greater security. The latter can be none other than Dese which is the only hilly island in the area and on it field survey has located a fine harbour and an early Roman settlement. The remaining site, Samidi, has also been found, for 7 km north of Adulis are large stone mounds. Architectural fragments and fragments of human bone suggest that this may have been an impressive mausoleum, perhaps the burial place of the kings of Adulis.

Preliminary Material /Steven E. Sidebotham -- Introduction /Steven E. Sidebotham -- Erythraean Sea Trade: Wares, Type, Cost and Volume /Steven E. Sidebotham -- Facilitating the Commerce: Roads, Ports and Canals for the Expanding Roman Trade /Steven E. Sidebotham -- Regulations, Traders and Taxes /Steven E. Sidebotham -- The Genesis and Evolution of Roman Policy in the Erythraean sea /Steven E. Sidebotham -- Conclusion /Steven E. Sidebotham -- The Terms 'Erythra Thalassa ' and 'Rubrum Mare ' /Steven E. Sidebotham -- The Date of the Periplus Maris Erythraei /Steven E. Sidebotham -- Bibliography /Steven E. Sidebotham -- Index /Steven E. Sidebotham.

The period from the death of Alexander the Great to the rise of the Islam (c. late fourth century BCE to seventh century CE) saw a significant growth in economic, diplomatic and cultural exchange between various civilisations in Africa, Europe and Asia. This was in large part thanks to the Indian Ocean trade. Peoples living in the Roman Empire, Parthia, India and South East Asia increasingly had access to exotic foreign products, while the lands from which they derived, and the peoples inhabiting these lands, also captured the imagination, finding expression in a number of literary and poetic works. The Indian Ocean Trade in Antiquity provides a range of chapters that explore the economic, political and cultural impact of this trade on these diverse societies, written by international experts working in the fields of Classics, Archaeology, South Asian studies, Near Eastern studies and Art History. The three major themes of the book are the development of this trade, how consumption and exchange impacted on societal developments, and how the Indian Ocean trade influenced the literary creations of Graeco-Roman and Indian authors. This volume will be of interest not only to academics and students of antiquity, but also to scholars working on later periods of Indian Ocean history who will find this work a valuable resource.