Rome and the Indian Ocean Trade from Augustus to the Early Third Century CE (Mnemosyne, Supplements / Mnemosyne, Supplements, History and)

"In Rome and the Indian Ocean Trade from Augustus to the Early Third Century CE Matthew Adam Cobb examines the development of commercial exchange between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean worlds from the Roman annexation of Egypt (30 BCE) up to the early third century CE. Among the issues considered are the identities of those involved, how they organised and financed themselves, the challenges they faced (scheduling, logistics, security, sailing conditions), and the types of goods they traded. Drawing upon an expanding corpus of new evidence, Cobb aims to reassess a number of long-standing scholarly assumptions about the nature of Roman participation in this trade. These range from its chronological development to its economic and social impact"-- Provided by publisher ‎Contents 5 ‎Acknowledgements 9 ‎List of Tables, Maps and Figures 10 ‎Tables 10 ‎Maps 10 ‎Figures 10 ‎Chapter 1. Introduction 11 ‎Scope of the Book 14 ‎Key Themes 15 ‎Development of Trade 16 ‎Barter and Bullion 16 ‎The Peak Period of Roman Trade 17 ‎Schedules, Practicalities and Roman Diasporas 17 ‎Indian Ocean Goods and Roman Society 18 ‎Scholarly Developments 18 ‎Approaching the Evidence 28 ‎Archaeological Evidence 29 ‎Epigraphic and Papyrological Evidence 31 ‎Literary Evidence 32 ‎Methodological Approaches 36 ‎Summary 37 ‎Chapter 2. The Ptolemies and the Erythra Thalassa 38 ‎Early Ptolemaic Activity in the Red Sea 39 ‎Ptolemaic Trade in East Africa 41 ‎Ptolemaic Trade with Arabia 43 ‎Early Ptolemaic Trade with India 45 ‎Voyages over the Open Ocean: The Monsoon Trade Winds 49 ‎Increasing Trade 55 ‎Ptolemaic Monopolies 57 ‎Ptolemaic Egypt and the Port of Arikamedu 59 ‎Ptolemaic Routes and Facilities 62 ‎Myos Hormos and Berenike 62 ‎The Desert Routes and the Nile Emporia 66 ‎Summary 69 ‎Chapter 3. Organisation and Finance 71 ‎Merchants and Financiers 72 ‎Graeco-Egyptians 73 ‎Jewish Egyptians 76 ‎The Eastern Mediterranean and Levant 78 ‎Italians and Merchants from the Western Empire 81 ‎The Scale of Investment 88 ‎Ship Design and Construction 94 ‎Summary 100 ‎Chapter 4. The Roman State and the Indian Ocean Trade 102 ‎Facilitating the Trade 103 ‎Dating the Stations 112 ‎Skopeloi 115 ‎Administration and Security 116 ‎The Roman Military and the Indigenous Population of the Eastern Desert 118 ‎Providing Security and Escorts 120 ‎Taxation and Tolls 122 ‎Roman Military and Diplomatic Policy 126 ‎Red Sea Fleet 127 ‎Embassies and Diplomatic Policy 130 ‎The Imperial Family’s Commercial Interests? 133 ‎Summary 136 ‎Chapter 5. Trade Routes and Merchant Diasporas 137 ‎Trading Routes and Schedules 138 ‎From Alexandria to the Red Sea Coast 139 ‎Alternative Routes in the Eastern Desert and the Red Sea 141 ‎From the Red Sea Ports to Adulis 146 ‎The Gulf of Aden and East Africa 146 ‎To India and Back 148 ‎The Return to Alexandria 151 ‎The Egypt-Indian Ocean Circuit 154 ‎Mediterranean Integration 155 ‎Merchant Diasporas 159 ‎Indian and Arabian Merchants in Egypt 159 ‎Roman Merchants in Indian Ocean Ports 165 ‎The Yavanas 173 ‎Romans in the Far East 180 ‎Summary 188 ‎Chapter 6. Imports 190 ‎Imports from the Indian Ocean 191 ‎Staples, Foodstuffs, and Drinks 191 ‎Textiles and Clothing 192 ‎Bulk Goods: Non-precious Metals, Woods, and Stones 195 ‎Plant Products: Spices, Aromatics, Toiletries, Drugs, and Dyes 197 ‎Slaves 205 ‎Animals 206 ‎Precious Materials: Gemstones, Semiprecious Beads, and Animal Products 208 ‎Indian Ocean Imports: An Overview 214 ‎Indian Ocean Goods and Roman Society 215 ‎Economic Impact on the Roman Elite 218 ‎Indian Ocean Goods and the Wider Population 219 ‎Summary 224 ‎Chapter 7. Exports 226 ‎Exports from the Mediterranean World 228 ‎Foodstuffs and Olive Oil 228 ‎Wine 230 ‎Textiles and Clothing 236 ‎Drugs, Dyes, Spices, and Compounds 238 ‎Animals 241 ‎Slaves 241 ‎Glassware and Raw Glass 241 ‎Stone Objects and Terracottas 246 ‎Non-precious Metals: Copper, Brass, Bronze, Iron, Lead, and Tin 247 ‎Precious Metals: Gold and Silver 251 ‎Precious Materials: Gem Stones and Coral 255 ‎Summary: The Export of the Roman Empire 257 ‎Roman Coins in India 259 ‎Regional Variations and Methodological Issues 260 ‎Find Spots 262 ‎Roman Coin Numbers in India 266 ‎State of Wear of Roman Coins in India 271 ‎Roman Coinage as an Indicator of Trade Fluctuations 276 ‎The Impact of Nero’s Currency Reform (64CE) 279 ‎Summary: Coinage 281 ‎Chapter 8. Rome’s Trade Balance with India 282 ‎A Roman Trade Deficit? 284 ‎The Significance of Gold and Silver as Exports 287 ‎Ballast and Stowage 290 ‎Crew Provisions 293 ‎Summary 295 ‎Chapter 9. The Peak of Roman Trade in the Indian Ocean 297 ‎Roman Participation in the Indian Ocean Trade: The Second and Third Centuries 298 ‎Archaeological Evidence: The Dating of Roman Exports 302 ‎Archaeological Evidence: The Red Sea Ports and the Intensity of Occupation during the Principate 305 ‎Red Sea Ports 305 ‎Interpreting the Chronological Patterns 307 ‎Decline in Demand 308 ‎Difficulties in the Eastern Desert 309 ‎The Importance of the Persian Gulf 311 ‎Chapter 10. Conclusion 313 ‎The Development of Roman Trade in the Indian Ocean 313 ‎Schedules, Practicalities and Roman Diasporas 314 ‎Indian Ocean Goods and Roman Society 314 ‎Barter and Bullion 315 ‎The Peak Period of Roman Trade 316 ‎Afterword 316 ‎Bibliography 317 ‎Index 359 In Rome and the Indian Ocean Trade from Augustus to the Early Third Century CE Matthew Adam Cobb explores the development of commercial exchanges between the Mediterranean world and civilisations in East Africa, Southern Arabia and the India from the Augustan period to the early third century CE. Introduction The Ptolemies and the Erythra Thalassa Organisation and Finance The Roman State and the Indian Ocean Trade Trade Routes and Merchant Diasporas Imports Exports Rome’s Trade Balance with India The Peak of Roman Trade in the Indian Ocean Conclusion Back Matter Bibliography Index