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
Mocrotu (var. of frankincense). 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, asyp/ia, arebo, magla , rnoto)
Frankincense.
Opone.
( Imports )
The things already mentioned.
( Exports )
Cinnamon (the better sort, arebo 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 monache , also sagmatogcn?)
Girdles
Honey from the reed called sacchari.
East Africa.
Rhapta, Menuthias, &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-Minasan stacte Alabaster
All the things already men- tioned from Avalites and the far-side coast. 286
Cana (which has trade with Egypt, the far-side coast, India and the Persian Gulf).
( Imports )
Wheat and wine; a little, as at Muza
Clothing 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. Dioscorida Island.
( Exports )
Tortoise-shell, various kinds Indian cinnabar (dragon’s blood) .
( Imports , brought by merchants from Muza and by chance calls of ships returning from India)
Rice Wheat Indian cloth Female slaves, a few Moscha.
( 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
Teak wood timbers Blackwood logs (from India) Ebony logs “ “
Frankincense ( from Cana to Ommana) .
{Exports)
Sew'ed 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^ea.
{Exports)
Wheat
Wine
Rice
Dates
Bdellium.
Indo-Scythia.
Barbaricum (at mouth of Indus river).
{Imports)
Thin clothing, in large quantity, 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 yam Indigo. 287
India (the kingdom of Nambanus).
Barygaza.
( 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
OtheF things coming from the various ports.
India ( Chera and Pandya kingdoms). Muziris, Nelcynda and Bacare; (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 Cottorara 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 (Chbla kingdom)
Argaru (inland)
( Exports )
Pearls
Muslins (named from the place) India (East Coast).
Camara, Poduca 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. 288
Ceylon.
PaL*SIMUNDU, FORMERLY CALLED
Taprobane.
( Exports )
Pearls
Transparent stones
Muslins
Tortoise-shell.
India (East Coast, farther north)
Masalia.
( Exports)
Muslins, in great quantity. Dosarene.
( 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.
Chryse Island.
( Exports )
Tortoise-shell, the best of all.
China.
Thin.*.
(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- rn irica)
Raw silk Silk yam Silk cloth.
Himalaya mountains.
The Besat*.
( Exports )
Malabathrum ; in three forms, the large -ball, the medium- ball, and the small-ball.