The Indian Ocean Trade in Antiquity : Political, Cultural and Economic Impacts

In this volume new studies from international scholars in the field of Classics, Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies and Indology explore the economic, political and cultural impact of this trade on these diverse societies. The book is divided into three parts: the first section explores the development of trade in the Indian Ocean; the second investigates the impact which the consumption of Indian Ocean goods had on societal developments; and the third considers how interconnections between these various cultures impacted upon on literary and artistic creations.

The period from the death of Alexander the Great to the rise of the Islam (c. late fourth century BCE to seventh century CE) saw a significant growth in economic, diplomatic and cultural exchange between various civilisations in Africa, Europe and Asia. This was in large part thanks to the Indian Ocean trade. Peoples living in the Roman Empire, Parthia, India and South East Asia increasingly had access to exotic foreign products, while the lands from which they derived, and the peoples inhabiting these lands, also captured the imagination, finding expression in a number of literary and poetic works.

provides a range of chapters that explore the economic, political and cultural impact of this trade on these diverse societies, written by international experts working in the fields of Classics, Archaeology, South Asian studies, Near Eastern studies and Art History. The three major themes of the book are the development of this trade, how consumption and exchange impacted on societal developments, and how the Indian Ocean trade influenced the literary creations of Graeco-Roman and Indian authors.

This volume will be of interest not only to academics and students of antiquity, but also to scholars working on later periods of Indian Ocean history who will find this work a valuable resource.