Periplus of the Erythraean Sea/Articles of Trade
ARTICLES OF TRADE MENTIONED IN THE PERIPLUS
Enumerated according to the ports
Red Sea Coast.
Ptolemais.
(Exports)
Tortoise-shell
Ivory.
Adulis.
(Imports)
Undressed cloth from Egypt
Robes from Arsinoe
Cloaks of poor quality, dyed
Double-fringed linen mantles
Flint glass, in many forms
Murrhine (glass imitation made in Diospolis)
Brass (for ornament and in cut pieces as coin)
Sheets of soft copper (for cooking-utensils, and bracelets and anklets)
Iron (for spears)
Axes, adzes and swords
Copper drinking-cups, round and large
Coin, a little
Wine of Laodicea and Italy
Olive oil
Presents for the king: gold and silver plate, military cloaks, thin coats of skin
Indian iron and steel (from Ariaca)
Indian cotton cloth (the broad monachē), also the sagmatogēnē, perhaps raw cotton
Girdles
Coats of skin
Mallow-colored cloth
Muslins
Lac.
(Exports)
Ivory
Tortoise-shell
Rhinoceros-horn.
Horn of Africa (The "far-side" coast).
Avalites.
(Imports)
Flint glass, assorted
Juice of sour grapes from Diospolis
Dressed cloth, assorted
Wheat
Wine
Tin.
(Exports partly to Ocelis and Muza)
Ivory
Tortoise-shell
Myrrh (better than the rest)
Malao.
(Imports)
The things already mentioned.
Also
Tunics
Cloaks from Arsinoe, dressed and dyed
Drinking cups
Sheets of soft copper
Iron
Gold and silver coin.
(Exports)
Myrrh
Frankincense (the far-side)
Cinnamon (the harder)
Duaca (var. of frankincense)
Indian copal
Macir (medicinal bark from Malabar)
(These exports going to Arabia)
Slaves, rarely.
Mundus.
(Imports)
The things already mentioned.
(Exports)
The things already mentioned;
also
MosyLLum. (Imports)
The things already mentioned; also
Silver plate
Iron, very little
Glass.
(Exports)
Cinnamon, in great quantity
Fragrant gums and spices
Tortoise-shell
Mocrotu incense
Frankincense (the far-side)
Ivory
Myrrh.
ELEPHANT RIVER. (Exports) Frankincense (the best far-side) Market oF Spices (Cape Guarda- fui). (Imports) The things already mentioned. (Exports)
Cinnamon (varieties, gizir, asypha, arebo, magla, moto)
Frankincense.
OPONE. (Imports) The things already mentioned. (Exports)
Cinnamon(the better sort, aredo and moto, in great quantity )
Slaves of the better sort, for Egypt, in increasing num- bers
Tortoise-shell, good quality, in great quantity
(Goods brought in Indian ships to this and the preceding far- side ports) !
Wheat
Rice
Clarified butter
Sesame oil
Cotton cloth (the monach?, also sagmatogen?)
Girdles Honey from the reed called Sac Aart,
East Africa. Ruapta, Menuraias, &c. (Imports, chiefly in Arabian ships) Lances made at Muza Hatchets, daggers and awls Glass, various kinds Wine, a little Wheat, for free distribution to the savages. (Exports) Ivory (in great quantity, but inferior to that of Adulis) Rhinoceros-horn Tortoise-shell (the best after that from India) Palm-oil, a little.
Arabia.
Muza. (Imports)
Purple cloths, fine and coarse
Clothing in Arabian styles, with sleeves; (plain, ordinary, embroidered, or interwo- ven with gold)
Saffron
Sweet-rush
Muslins
Cloaks
Blankets, plain and in the local fashion
Sashes of different colors
Fragrant ointments
Wine and wheat (not much, the country producing both)
Presents to the King and Chief: horses, sumpter - mules, vessels of gold and polished silver, finely woven cloth- ing, copper vessels.
(Exports, the products of the
country ) Myrrh, selected Myrrh, the Gebanite-Minzan stacte Alabaster All the things already men- tioned from Avalites and the far-side coast. Cana (which has trade with Egypt,
the far-side coast, India and the
Persian Gulf).
(Imports)
Wheat and wine; a little, as at Muza
Ciothing in the Arabian style, poor quality
Coppei
Tin
Cora.
Storax
Other things such as go to Muza
Presents for the king: wrought gold and silver plate, horses, images, thin cloth- ing of fine quality.
(Exports, the native produce)
Frankincense Aloes The rest of the things men- tioned from the other ports. Dioscoripa IsLanp.
(Exports)
Tortoise-shell, various kinds Indian cinnabar (dragon’s blood).
(Umports, brought by merchants from Muza and by chance calls of ships returning from India)
Rice Wheat Indian cloth Female slaves, a few Moscua. (Imports) Cloth Wheat Sesame oil. (Exports) Frankincense. SaraPis ISLAND. (Exports, to Cana, at regular in- tervals) Tortoise-shell. Persian Gulf. OmMANA AND APOLOGUS,
(Imports)
Copper Sandalwood
286
Teakwood timbers Blackwood logs (from Yndia) Ebony logs * fe. Frankincense (from Cana to Ommana). (Exports)
Sewed boats called madarata (from Ommana to South Arabia)
Pearls, inferior to the Indian
Purple
Clothing, after the fashion of the place
Wine
Dates, in great quantity
Gold
Slaves (to both India and S, Arabia)
Makran Coast. OR-AA. (Exports)
Wheat
Wine
Rice
Dates
Bdellium.
Indo-Scythia. BarRBARICUM (at mouth of Indus river). (Imports)
Thin clothing, in large quaniity, some spurious
Figured linens
Topaz
Coral
Storax
Frankincense
Vessels of glass
Silver and gold plate
Wine, a little.
(Exports)
Costus
Bdellium
Lycium
Nard
Turquoise
Lapis lazuli
Seric skins ¢
Cotton cloth
Silk yarn
Indigo. 287
India (Chéra and Pandya kingdoms). Muziris, NELCYNDA AND BACARE;
India (the kingdom of Nambanus).
BaryYGAZA.
(Imports)
Wine: Italian preferred, also Laodicean and Arabian
Copper
Tin
Lead
Coral
Topaz
Thin clothing and inferior sorts of all kinds
Bright-colored girdles a cubit wide
Storax
Sweet clover
Flint glass
Realgar
Antimony
Gold and silver coin (yielding a profit on the exchange)
Ointments, not costly, a little
Presents for the King: Costly vessels of silver, singing boys, beautiful maidens for the harem, fine wines, thin clothing of the finest weaves, the choicest ointments.
(Exports)
Spikenard (coming through Scythia, also through Po- clais, from Caspapyra, Pa- ropanisus and Cabolitis)
Costus
Bdellium
Ivory
Agate and carnelian (onyx and murrhine )
Lycium
Cotton cloth of all kinds (mus- lins and ordinary )
Silk cloth
Mallow-cloth
Yam
Long pepper
Other things coming from the various ports.
(to which large ships come for pepper and malabathrum ). (Imports )
Coin, in great quantity
Topaz
Thin clothing, not much
Figured linens
Antimony
Coral
Crude glass
Copper
Tin
Lead
Wine, not much, but as much as at Barygaza
Realgar
Orpiment
Wheat (for the sailors, the country not producing it).
( Exports )
Pepper, produced in Cottonara
Fine pearls in great quantity
Ivory
Silk cloth
Spikenard from the Ganges
Malabathrum from the interior
Transparent stones of all kinds
Diamonds
Sapphires
Tortoise-shell, from Chryse and from near-by islands
India (Chola kingdom ) ARGaRU (inland)
( Exports)
Pearls Muslins (named from the place)
India (East Coast ). Camara, Popuca aNd SoPATMA
(where ships come from the west coast, also from the Gan- ges and Chryse).
(Imports )
Everything made in Damirica and the neighboring coun- tries and most of what comes from Egypt. Ceylon. PaLASIMUNDU, FORMERLY CALLED
TAPROBANE.
(Exports) Pearls Transparent stones Muslins Tortoise-shell.
India (East Coast, farther north) MasALIa. ( Exports) Muslins, in great quantity. Dosar Ene. ( Exports ) Ivory. India (Ganges delta). GANGES. ( Exports ) Malabathrum Gangetic spikenard Pearls Muslins of the finest sort, called Gangetic.
(The place has a gold coin called caltis).
Malacca. Curyse IsLanD. ( Exports) Tortoise-shell, the best of all.
China.
THINE. (Difficult of access; few men come from there, and seldom) (Exports, overland through Bac-
tria to Barygaza, also by way of the Ganges to Da- mirica )
Raw silk
Silk yarn
Silk cloth.
Himalaya mountains. Tue Besat&. ( Exports ) Malabathrum; in three forms, the large-ball, the medium- ball, and the small-ball.