The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient World Economy and the Kingdoms of Africa, Arabia and India by Raoul McLaughlin

Author:Raoul McLaughlin [McLaughlin, Raoul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bisac Code 1: HIS002000, Bic Code 1: 1QDAR, HISTORY / Ancient / General
ISBN: 9781473841482
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2014-09-11T00:00:00+00:00

East Africa

During the time of the Periplus, Roman ships on African voyages did not generally sail beyond the Horn. Distant trade connections continued down the east coast of the continent, but these routes were managed by Arab merchants who sailed in small dhow-like vessels with lateen sails. Some of these Arab trade runs extended hundreds of miles down the east coast of Africa to markets and trade outposts in Kenya and Tanzania. One of the main products shipped through this route were the large tusks of Bush Elephants hunted on the African Savannah. These supplies became more important as hunting operations in North Africa brought Forest Elephants closer to extinction. Pliny reports that by AD 77, ‘only India can supply an ample supply of tusks, as luxury has reduced all other stocks’.104

Early Roman merchants knew from Arab traders about a route down the eastern seaboard of Africa. Ships sailing south passed a series of steep cliffs on the African coast known as the ‘Small and Great Cliffs of Azania’. It took six days to sail past these heights with ships averaging about fifty miles during daylight hours and mooring offshore at night. The following coast, known as the ‘Small and Great Beaches’, was also desolate and devoid of towns. It took a further six days to sail along this long featureless stretch of the African coast.105

Past the beaches, the route was divided into a long series of runs between various river-mouths and natural harbours. Each of these courses could be completed in about a day’s sailing beginning with the Sarapion Run and then the Nikon Run. The Periplus explains that each part of the sequence ‘is separated by daily stops and there are seven runs to the Pyralaoi Islands and the place called the Canal’. The Pyralaoi Islands are the Lamu Archipelago which is separated from the mainland by a narrow stretch of water.106 The islands are a thousand miles from Opone, which corresponds to a voyage of about twenty days.

Ships reaching the Pyralaoi Islands sailed south for two days on a course divided between four separate night and day runs. This took them down the Kenyan coast to a large island named Menuthias that must have been either Pemba or Zanzibar.107 The Periplus describes Menuthias as a low-lying island with rivers and woodland that offered habitat to a wide variety of birds. There were also large monitor lizards on the island, which the Romans described as ‘crocodiles that are not harmful to people’. Mountain tortoises were found inland and turtle was hunted on the coast by local people operating from dugout canoes and small craft that had timber hulls fastened with flexible wooden-cord (‘sewn-boats’). The islanders were skilled at fishing and the Periplus reports ‘they have their own way of capturing turtles with baskets, which they lower into the sea instead of nets’.108

Two runs, or about 100 miles, beyond Menuthias was a trade-station called Rhapta. Rhapta was on the Tanzanian coast and the Periplus calls the outpost ‘the very last port of trade on the coast of Azania’ (East Africa).

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