Ports and political power in the Periplus : complex societies and maritime trade on the Indian Ocean in the first century AD

In the centuries around the turn of our era, long distance trade based on the monsoon winds connected all coasts of the western Indian Ocean. Ships from India, Arabia, Egypt, East Africa and Mesopotamia conveyed luxuries such as silk, spices and slaves, but also subsistence goods including grain and inexpensive textiles between coasts separated by thousands of kilometres of water. In the same period the first complex societies emerged in parts of Africa and Southern India. In other regions existing states reorganised or were replaced or marginalised by new polities. This study aims at exploring the significance of maritime commerce to societies on the Indian Ocean rim, by examining how rulers adjusted their policy in order to control and profit from trade. The point of departure is the anonymous Greek first century AD Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. This is a guide to navigation and trade on the Indian Ocean, covering the coasts of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, East Africa and India. The unknown author, who to a large extent relied on personal experience, included not only sailing directions, but also a wealth of information on local products, markets and political conditions. Chapter 1 introduces the subject and the setting. Chapter 2 discusses how to measure the impact of trade on complex societies. Chapter 3 deals with the content and reliability of the Periplus. Other chapters survey the situation along the coasts of Arabia, Africa and western / southern India in detail, and argue that rulers and states utilised a range of policies in order to profit from the monsoon trade. Machine Generated Contents Note: Ch. 1 Circumnavigation Of The Red Sea -- Inland Elites And Maritime Trade -- Cosmopolitan World In Postcolonial Context -- Classical History, Colonial Historiography, Postcolonial Criticism -- Scope -- Ch. 2 Trade And The Indian Ocean State -- State And The Role Of Trade -- Research Strategy -- Ch. 3 Periplus Maris Erythraei -- Textual Tradition, Texts And Translations -- Contents, Author, Nature -- Reliability -- Ch. 4 Southern Arabia -- Saba-himyar -- Ports Of Saba-himyar -- Okelis -- Eudaimon Arabia -- Muza, Myrrh And The Maritime Trade Of Saba-himyar -- King And His Vassal -- Saba-himyar -- The Picture Of Government Control -- Hadramawt -- Kane -- The Market Of Hadramawt -- Frankincense, Frankincense Production And Frankincense Ports -- Moscha Limen / Khor Rori/ Sumhuram -- Hadramawt -- The Picture Of Government Control -- Ch. 5 African Coast -- Aksum -- The Kingdom Of Zoskales -- Trade At Adulis -- Zoskales -- Aksum -- The Picture Of Government Control -- Far-side Ports -- Along The Coast Of The Somali Peninsula -- Avalites -- Malao And Mundu -- Mosyllon, The Spice Market And Opone -- Detour Into The Cassia Yielding Regions -- Far-side Ports: Trade And The State With No State -- Rhapta And The East African Coast -- Trade At Rhapta -- Rhapta: Trade And The State With No State Ii -- Dioscurides / Socotra -- Dioscurides: Trade And The State With No State Iii -- African Coast-conclusions -- Ch. 6 From The Indus To The Konkan -- Ports And Kingdoms -- Trade At Barbarikon / Minnagar -- Trade And The State In Skythia -- Ariake And Barygaza -- Royal Involvement In Trade At Barygaza -- Networks Meeting At Barygaza -- Skythia And Ariake -- The Picture Of Government Control -- Ch. 7 Malabar And Southern India -- Southern Ports And Kingdoms -- Periplus On Trade In The Tamil Kingdoms -- Ecology And Economy Of Southern India -- Impact Of Trade -- Roman Coins In Southern India -- Malabar And Southern India -- The Picture Of Government Control -- Ch. 8 Indian, Parthian And Arabian Networks In The Periplus -- Ch. 9 Separate Societies, Similar Structures -- Spatial Organisation -- Aksum -- Saba-himyar -- Hadramawt -- Skythia -- Ariake -- Chera, Pandya, Chola -- Conclusions: Historical Geography And Infrastructure -- Test Case: Areas Outside State Control -- Trade And Rulers -- Strategies And Attitudes -- Centralisation -- Administration -- Expansion -- Key Resources -- Imports And Exports -- Imports -- Exports -- Test Case: Areas Outside State Control -- Trading Diasporas -- Separate States, Similar Structures: Conclusions -- Ch. 10 Complex Societies And Maritime Trade In The Periplus -- Concluding Remarks -- Bibliography -- Sources. Eivind Heldaas Seland. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 87-97). Front Cover Title Page Copyright Society for Arabian Studies Monograph Series Summary Table of Contents List of Tables, Maps and Figures Acknowledgements Chapter 1: The Circumnavigation of the Red Sea Chapter 2: Trade and the Indian Ocean State Chapter 3: The Periplus Maris Erythraei Chapter 4: Southern Arabia Chapter 5: The African Coast Chapter 6: From the Indus to the Konkan Chapter 7: The Malabar and Southern India Chapter 8: Indian, Parthian and Arabian networks in the Periplus Chapter 9: Separate societies, similar structures Chapter 10: Complex societies and maritime trade in the Periplus Bibliography