Source edition
Arrian. Arriani Nicomediensis Scripta Minora. Hercher, Rudolf; Eberhard, Alfred, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1885.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a periplus (coastal voyage account) of the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus), written by the second-century Roman governor and historian Arrian in the form of an official report to Emperor Hadrian. It begins with Arrian's arrival in Trapezus, where he proposes upgrades to the local altars and imperial statues, and details his military inspections and a perilous voyage through a sudden storm. The first part of the text records the coastal geography, rivers, and forts up to Sebastopolis (Dioscurias), alongside the local client tribes under Roman influence. The middle section catalogs the distances and harbors along the southern coast from the Thracian Bosporus to Trapezus, praising Hadrian's harbor construction projects. In the latter half, the scope expands beyond the limits of direct Roman control into the northern and western shores of the Black Sea, featuring a detailed description of the Island of Achilles and its miraculous legends. Finally, the narrative traces the route back through the Greek cities of the western coast to Byzantium, presenting a rich blend of practical military geography and mythological curiosity.