Balancing the Trade: Roman Cargo Shipments toIndia

Abstract

Summary.There

Connecting the ancient Afro-Eurasian world

“…3 Carl Knappett, 'Globalization, Connectivities and Networks', in The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization, 32. Justin Jennings is a prominent proponent of applying globalization thinking to pre-modern societies; see Justin Jennings, Globalizations and the Ancient World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011); Justin Jennings, 'Distinguishing Past Globalizations', in The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Tamar Hodos, ed., The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization. Pharaonic Egypt).…”

“…23 Moreover, the frequently repeated notion that Rome haemorrhaged gold and silver 'bullion' to India and other regions is simplistic and unhelpful. 24 Finally, it is not evident that the power differentials, which are a key feature of World Systems Theory (in this case inverted, with the more territorially powerful Roman Empire being the periphery), were of much significance either to merchants from the Tamilakam (southern India) operating in the Egyptian Red Sea region, or for Mediterranean merchants operating in the Tamilakam.…”