Indo-Roman Trade (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology) [Paperback]

Roberta Tomber (Author)

Book Description

Series: Duckworth Debates in Archaeology | Publication Date: December 5, 2008

This book brings together for the first time archaeological findings from key ports throughout the Indian Ocean - the Red Sea, South Arabia, the Gulf and India - to build up a balanced picture of relations between East and West. Combined evidence from artefacts and documents reveals a complex situation whereby ordinary goods were carried alongside the more costly items - such as pepper, aromatics and gems - that drove the trade. Here the focus is on ordinary artefacts that uncover a network of Romans, Arabs, Sasanians and Indians who participated in the trade. The evidence from ceramics, especially, shows the interplay between these different ethnic groups, where they lived, when the trade was active, and even how it was organised.The account is arranged geographically, drawing on new evidence from the author's experience of archaeological sites and materials on the Red Sea and in India. A final chapter sketches the changing fortunes of trade between the first century BC and the seventh century AD in the light of these important new archaeological discoveries.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roberta Tomber is Visiting Fellow in the Department of Conservation, Documentation and Science at the British Museum. She specialises in Roman and Indian Ocean pottery and has published widely on the subject, including 'The National Roman Fabric Reference Collection' (1998) with John Dore.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Duckworth Publishing (December 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0715636960
• ISBN-13: 978-0715636961
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indo-Roman Trade, April 11, 2009

By 

Jana Turkova (Praha 4, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indo-Roman Trade (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology) (Paperback)

I always wanted to read something about this topic, as there were many indication of contacts between ancient Rome and ancient India, but nothing specific. These contacts help to explain for example possible Indian influence on Gnostics in Egypt, the occurance of a statue of an Indian goddess in Pompei, mocaics showing Asian tigers in arenas etc. The book brings together archeological finds along the route and written documents and helps to understand the scale of these contacts.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind, October 13, 2011

By 

S. Willis (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Indo-Roman Trade (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology) (Paperback)

Not too much I can say except that this is a one-of-a-kind book on the subject of the Indo-Roman trade system. It's not what one would call a "scholarly" book and it's easy to read, yet it is very thorough with plenty of references to the archaeological evidence. But that's intended as a complement! For the layman interested in Roman history, this fills a gap that isn't talked about very much. It's a valued reference to my collection of books about the Roman Empire.