Erythraean Sea
![Map showing the Erythraean Sea off the Horn of Africa. Drawn by James Rennell, 1799.](/Images/godic/202501/11/Rennel_map_17993714.png")
![Names, routes and locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.](/Images/godic/202501/11/Periplous_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.svg3715.png")
![17th-century map depicting the locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.](/Images/godic/202501/11/PeriplusAncientMap3715.jpg")
The Erythraean Sea (Greek: Ἐρυθρὰ Θάλασσα, Erythra Thalassa, "Red Sea") is the name in ancient cartography for a body of water located between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. This appellation may have derived from the seasonal blooms of the red-coloured Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water's surface.