Anonymous, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
A guidebook for merchants operating out of Egypt's Red Sea ports, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (a.k.a. the Periplus Maris Erythraei) provides most of what is known about early trading networks incorporating ports in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Recent archaeological work has confirmed much of the detail. It includes the first mention of China in classical documents and the first description of the Silk Route.
While the author is unknown, and the text has been ascribed to different dates between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, it was probably written by an Egyptian-Greek trader who lived at Berenike in the middle of the first century CE.
The text delivers a detailed account of the Hellenic world's knowledge of the lands around the Erythraean Sea: (the Gulf of Aden between Arabia Felix and the Horn of Africa, often extended to include the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean.
Since the Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive sources also include the text of Arrian’s Account Of The Voyage Of Nearkhos, From The Mouth Of The Indus To The Head Of The Persian Gulf, it is also included here
