Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Nineteen

At Raphta, it seems the unknown sailor is taking a look at the ports he had already visited. Some of the historians are of the view that the document is a log. Log according to Cambridge dictionary is an official record of events during the voyage of a ship. The record should be in accordance with the course of the voyage. The log had already broken the chronological order. In the last section he switched back to Berenice from Rhapta, and continues therein.



Now to the left of Berenice, sailing for two or three days from Mussel Harbour eastward accross the adjacent gulf, there is another harbour and fortified place, which is called White Village from which there is a road to Petra which is subject to Malichas, King of Nabaatans. It holds the position of market-town for the small vessels sent there from Arabia and so a centurion is stationed there as a collector of one fourth of the merchandise imported with an armed force, as garrison.

My Search:-

1. Berenice: Berenice Troglodytica. It is one hundred and fifty kilometres south of Marsa Alam. It is on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. Founded by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285 to 246BCE), it was a major centre of export of grain, wine, and linen. Ivory, spices and precious stones were imported there. It played a crucial role in ancient Egyptian trade and commerce. It also contributed to the cultural exchange between Mediterranean and African civilization.

2. White Village: Scholars propose the following locations for White Village.
a) Mombasa, Kenya.
b) Zanzibar, Tanzania.
c)Kilwa, Tanzania.
d) Gedi, Kenya.

None of these are correct, because all of them are on eastern coast of Africa.

By taking into account the text of Periplus Maris Erythraea, I think that White Village was somewhere on the Arabian Coast. My reasons are:

1. Berenice's location: 150 km south of Marsa Alam 
2. Mussel Harbour (Mayos Harmos) is north of Marsa Alam.
3. Sailing eastward from Mussel Harbour, implies crossing the Red Sea
4. White Village's description: fortified place, road to Petra
5. Petra's location: Jordan (northwest of the Arabian Peninsula)

1. Geographic logic: Sailing eastward from Mussel Harbour would naturally lead to the Arabian coast.
2. Petra's connection: A road from White Village to Petra suggests a location closer to Jordan.
3. Trade routes: The Periplus describes extensive trade networks; the location of Arabian coast  facilitated trade and exchange among Egypt, Arabia, and Jordan.

*Possible Locations:

Considering the Periplus's description and  my analysis, potential location for White Village is al-Ula, locally known as al-Dirah, situated near the Oasis palm grove, an ancient walled Oasian city ( the words in Periplus Maris Erythraea, "another harbour and fortified place) Perhaps Al Wajh must have been its port.

Machilas the King of Nabateans enforces my logic. Machilas was a king of Nabatean Kingdom. He ruled the Nabatean Kingdom around 40 to 70 CE. It was an ancient Arabian kingdom which ruled around 168BCE to 106 CE. It was in the north western part of the Arabian subcontinent. In fact it was a tribal chiefdom, which by the control of trade in the area amassed huge wealth and imbibed the culture of trading communities and gradually transformed into a kingdom.

End of the Section 

 

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