India and the Contemporary World
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Periplus and the Mansoon Wind
In ancient Greek and Roman texts on Geography, the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the
Persian Gulf were together referred to as the Erythraean Sea. A book was written about
communication and trade and commerce on those waters. This was known as Periplus of
the Erythraean Sea. The word Periplus has two meanings. One is to travel on water transport
The other is a description of travel on water. From that perspective, in English, the name of
the book can be "Travels on the Erythraean Sea'. The name of the author is unknown. It is
written in Greek. The author of the book seems to be a Greek who used to live in Egypt.
The author has based the book on his own experiences. Therefore it contains detailed
account of the ports of the Erythraean Sea and many other aspects of commerce. The book
was written for the convenience of ancient traders. It was written possibly in the mid-1"
century A.D. It also describes people of different regions, society, flora and fauna. This book
is important source for knowing the economic history of the 1"
century A.D. Towards the end of the century B.C., some
idea had been formed regarding the monsoons or
seasonal winds of south-west and north-east.
Because of that wind system, travel and
commerce on the Erythraean Sea was made easier