Description
Book SynopsisAcross the Ocean contains nine essays, each dedicated to a key question in the history of the trade relations between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean from Antiquity to the Early Modern period: the role of the state in the Red Sea trade, Roman policy in the Red Sea, the function of Trajan’s Canal, the pepper trade, the pearl trade, the Nabataean middlemen, the use of gold in ancient India, the constant renewal of the Indian Ocean ports of trade, and the rise and demise of the VOC.
Trade Review"[T]his good book first and foremost reinforces the position of the topic in question in ancient studies; in addition it opens interesting perspectives for future research in this field, for the method promoted by the editors is undoubtedly a good way to enhance our knowledge of the relationship between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean in antiquity." - Pierre Schneider, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2016.02.27 "The volume is an important contribution to the study of Indo-Mediterranean exchange in antiquity, and, at the same time, it opens new and promising perspectives by successfully promoting comparative studies in this important fi eld of historical research." - Michael A. Speidel, in: Marburger Beiträge Zur Antiken Handels, Wirtschafts und Sozialgeschichte
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Table, Figures, and Maps Abbreviations Introduction Federico De Romanis and Marco Maiuro Part 1 - The Cradle of the Ancient India Trade: The Red Sea 1 Red Sea Trade and the State Andrew Wilson 2 Trajan’s Canal: River Navigation from the Nile to the Red Sea? Jean-Jacques Aubert 3 Pearls, Power, and Profit: Mercantile Networks and Economic Considerations of the Pearl Trade in the Roman Empire Katia Schörle 4 Roman Policy on the Red Sea in the Second Century CE Dario Nappo 5 Roman Trade with the Far East: Evidence for Nabataean Middlemen in Puteoli Taco Terpstra Part 2 - Comparative Perspectives on the India Trade 6 Indian Gold Crossing the Indian Ocean Through the Millennia Harry Falk 7 ‘Regions that Look Seaward’: Changing Fortunes, Submerged Histories, and the Slow Capitalism of the Sea Jairus Banaji 8 Comparative Perspectives on the Pepper Trade Federico De Romanis 9 Into the East: European Merchants in Asian Markets During the Early Modern Period Martha Howell Afterword Elio Lo Cascio References Index of Sources General Index
