Consider the following statements : 1. Periplus is a Greek word mean

Consider the following statements :

  • 1. Periplus is a Greek word meaning sailing around.
  • 2. Erythraean was the Greek name for the Mediterranean Sea.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-2 – 2016
The correct answer is A. The question asks which of the given statements is/are correct.
Statement 1 is correct. “Periplus” is a Greek word derived from “periplous” (περίπλους), meaning “sailing around”. A periplus is a type of historical document that describes a coastal voyage, listing ports and landmarks along the route.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The Erythraean Sea (Erythra Thalassa in Greek) refers to the body of water encompassing the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and potentially extending into the Indian Ocean, according to classical geographers like the author of the “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea”. The Mediterranean Sea was known by other names in Greek and Roman antiquity, such as simply “the sea” (ἡ θάλασσα) or, by Romans, “Mare Nostrum” (Our Sea).
The “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea” is an important ancient Greek text, written by an unknown author around the 1st century CE, which describes navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports along the coast of the Red Sea, and points along the coast of Northeast Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
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