🌊 Framing Statement: The Far East is the Context

Pliny opens by generally stating that Chryse and Argyre are beyond the mouth of the Indus, setting the broader region for the voyage—the Far East. This does not mean the voyage begins at the Indus, which he does not state. The actual route begins in the maritime territory of the Seres—China. That is very difficult for anyone to confuse if they are reading.

“Beyond the mouth of the Indus are the islands of Chryse and Argyre, abounding in metals, I believe; but as to what some persons have stated, that their soil consists of gold and silver, I am not so willing to give a ready credence to that.”
— Pliny the Elder, Natural History 6.20

• ✅ The mouth of the Indus is located in modern-day Pakistan on the border of India.

• ✅ Pliny acknowledges secondhand reports that these islands were made of gold and silver, but cautiously refrains from confirming it.

• ✅ Today we know Pliny's skepticism was misplaced: the Philippines are proven to contain rich alluvial gold deposits, and still do today.

• ✅ The phrase "beyond the Indus" defines what will be a sea route, not an overland one. However, the journey will begin in North China.

• Pliny is not talking about Africa, Saudi Arabia, America, Peru, Spain, or Britain here, all of which are nonsensical guesses. We can narrow down which portion of the Far East by his full directions some ignore.

🌊 Step 1: Journey to Chryse Isle: From The Territory of the Seres (China) passing the First River 

“The first river that is known in their territory is the Psitharas..." — Pliny the Elder, Natural History 6.20

• ✅ This passage refers specifically to the territory of the Seres—the ancient Chinese. The first rivers are in China of course.

• Psitharas → The Yellow River (Huang He), the northern river of China.

• Note: Wiktionary errs when it claims this river is in Scythia, when it is in Seres according to Pliny. 

• "CHAP. 20.—THE SERES" "4...The people of Serica, which country with Ptolemy corresponds to the north-western part of China..."

Psitharas definition: Pliny the elder and the eastern fringes of the earth, A.A. Vigasin. 2017.

🌊 Step 6: Journey to Chryse Isle: The River Atianos and Coastal Inhabitants Called Attacori

“...the Gulf of Cynaba, the river Atianos, and the nation of the Attacori on the gulf of that name...”         – Pliny the Elder, Natural History 6.20

• Gulf of Cynaba → after crossing the South China Sea into the Philippines we find a river and people groups consistent with the Philippines

• River Atianos → Possibly the Batiano River on the coast of Iloilo, Philippines  which empties into the sea. This estuary includes the Iloilo River perhaps tied to the Ati Tribe of Iloilo, who also lived on Iloilo River and in the mountains nearby. The mountains boasting several falls begin not far from there [as pictured to the right]. 

• "Ano" (Greek άνω) means "upland", fitting their mountainous dwelling. 

• Attacori → Could relate to the Atta tribes of the Philippines.

• The Greek "kori" means girl/maiden, possibly ethnographic in tone. Also, átta: ἄττα: in Greek, is the word for father or elder. This could also be a reference to the woman warrior tribe of the Philippines.

This is a tropical maritime society living in hilly terrain near the ocean, shielded from storms, and fitting Philippine geography and culture.

☀️ Step 7: Journey to Chryse Isle: Climate Alignment

“...a people protected by their sunny hills from all noxious blasts, and living in a climate of the same temperature as that of the Hyperborei...”

– Pliny the Elder, Natural History 6.20

• ✅ The Hyperboreans were described as living in an ideal, consistent climate. It matters not whether the legend is true, but this sets the stage for the environment which never fits Japan.

• ✅ This clearly implies a tropical zone, not seasonal or temperate.

• Hyperborea: "Blessed with eternal spring, the land producing two crops of grain per year..." Oddly, the Philippines also has two harvests per year as well. That really narrows this down in climate because few places on Earth have such.

• Hyperborea: "...most of the countryside was wild and covered with beautiful forests--the so-called "garden of Apollon." The Philippines houses the Garden of Eden and that is no coincidence.

• ❌ This eliminates Japan (too cold) and India/Burma (inconsistent with the described landscape).

• ✅ This is a match to the Philippine conditions and even the legend resonates there.

🌊 Step 8: Reference to the Isles of Gold

“Beyond the mouth of the Indus are the islands of Chryse and Argyre, abounding in metals, I believe; but as to what some persons have stated, that their soil consists of gold and silver, I am not so willing to give a ready credence to that.”
— Pliny the Elder, Natural History 6.80

• ✅ This statement sets a regional marker—Far East beyond India.

• ✅ Chryse and Argyre are clearly called "islands".

• ✅ Today, the Philippines are known for both gold and silver deposits.

• ✅ Pliny's skepticism is noted, but the claim aligns with modern evidence of alluvial gold.