Scylax of Caryanda (Σκύλαξ ὁ Καρυανδεύς) Life Scylax of Caryanda was a Greek explorer and geographer from Caria in Asia Minor. His life is defined by a pioneering expedition commissioned by the Persian king Darius I. Herodotus records that Scylax sailed down the Indus River and explored the sea route to the Red Sea and Egypt, a journey lasting approximately thirty months and occurring in the late 6th or early 5th century BCE [1][2]. This made him one of the first Greeks known to venture into the Indian Ocean.

Works Scylax authored a Periplous (Περίπλους), a coastal survey based on his voyage. His original work, which described the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Seas and included accounts of India, is now lost and survives only in fragments cited by later authors like Herodotus and Aristotle [1][2]. The surviving text known as the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax dates to the mid-4th century BCE and is not his work, though it preserves his name [1][3].

Significance Scylax holds a foundational place in Greek geography. His firsthand report provided the Greek world with its earliest systematic information on the geography and peoples of the Indian subcontinent [1][2]. Herodotus used his account, cementing its authority, and Scylax’s name became synonymous with the periplous genre, representing the early Ionian tradition of empirical exploration and reportage.

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Scylax-of-Caryanda 2. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/Scylax_of_Caryanda/ 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-5757