Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Fourteen

In the previous section, that is Thirteen, the anonymous sailor was in Opone (modern day Hafun in  Somalia). Here he is taking a look at the ocean trade between Egypt on the one side and the western and eastern coasts of Indian subcontinent. Continue reading:

The voyage to all these far-side market-towns is made from Egypt about the month of July, that is Epiphi. And also ships are customerily fitted out from the places accross the sea from Araica and Barygaza, bringing to these far-side market-towns the products of their own places; wheat, rice, clarified butter, seasame oil, cotton cloth (the monache and the sagmatogene), and girdles and honey from the reed called sacchari. Some make the voyage especially to these market-towns, and others exchange their cargoes while sailing along the coast. This country is not subject to a King, but each town is ruled by its separate chiefs.

My Search:-

1. Monache: Since it was referred as cloth, it may be derived from "Mungil" a Sanskrit word for Muslin a fabric originally belonged to Mosul, and later came to Harappan people, who originally migrated from Zagros mountains; and later adopted by Aryan settlers of Gangetic valley. Many civilizations had contributed to to its technology. 

2. Sagmatogene: Probably Sagmagenta or sagmata, a type of fine woven textile, possibly cotton or silk. The word was originally derived from Prakrit word "Sagmata". I think this might have been exported from Barygaza.

3. Honey from the reed called sacchari: Reeds, specifically Saccharum spontaneum or wild sugar cane are considered ancestors of domesticated sugar cane. Here it refers to the export of sugar obtained from wild sugar. Both Barygaza on the western shore and Ariaca inland might have exported them to Egypt.

4. Barygaza: Bharuch in Gujarat

5. Ariaca: It is supposed to be ancient name for the region of Konkan  beyond Barygaza (Bharuch).

Please note that the unknown sailor is still at Hafun (Opone), Somalia and he is recapitulating, perhaps, based on his previous voyge or what he had heard from other merchants.

End of the Section


 

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