Dioskouridou Island

Information from the Periplus

Ancient Toponym: Dioskouridou Island
Place Type: Unspecified
Route: Eastern route
Next on Route: Moscha Limen
Ancient Area: Arabia
Periplus Chapter: PME, Ch. 30

Topographic info

Longitude 53.92
Latitude 12.51
Location Source: Pleiades

Modern Identification: Socotra
Modern Country: Yemen

Passage from the Periplus

On this bay is a mighty headland, facing the east, called Syagros, at which there are a fortress to guard the region, a harbor, and a storehouse for the collection of frankincense. In the open sea off it is an island, between it and the Promontory of Spices across the water but nearer to Syagros, called Dioscurides; though very large, it is barren and also damp, with rivers, crocodiles, a great many vipers, and huge lizards, so huge that people eat the flesh and melt down the fat to use in place of oil. The island bears no farm products, neither vines nor grain. The inhabitants, few in number, live on one side of the island, that to the north, the part facing the mainland; they are settlers, a mixture of Arabs and Indians and even some Greeks, who sail out of there to trade. The island yields tortoise shell, the genuine, the land, and the light-colored, in great quantity and distinguished by rather large shields, and also the oversize mountain variety with an extremely thick shell, of which the parts over the belly, whichever are useful, do not take [sc. regular] cutting; besides, they are rather tawny. On the other hand, whatever can be used for small boxes, small plaques, small disks, and similar items gets cut up completely. The so-called Indian cinnabar is found there; it is collected as an exudation from the trees. (from the Casson translation)

Bibliography

Ancient source: nan

Bibliography: Biedermann, Zoltan (2006). Soqotra: Geschichte einer christlichen Insel im Indischen Ozean vom Altertum bis zur frühen Neuzeit

Bibliography: Galla, Amareswar (2012). World heritage: benefits beyond borders