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Raoul McLaughlin in The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean estimates that customs taxes on trade through Red Sea ports could have accounted for fully _one third_

by thom 2y ago

Raoul McLaughlin in The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean estimates that customs taxes on trade through Red Sea ports could have accounted for fully _one third_ of all Roman income in the first century AD. It’s always been fascinating to me what might have happened if Rome tried to play tall instead of wide.

Bluestein 2y ago
Totally.- PS. That, and antibiotics ...
thom 2y ago
The book seems to be available at: https://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/PLACES/IndOc-Gulf/IndianOcean-McLaughlin2014.pdf https://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/Docu...
teleforce 2y ago
>Its value, after payment of the Roman Empire’s 25 percent import tax, was nearly seven million sesterces, which scholars have calculated was easily enough to buy a luxury estate in central Italy, or, if you prefer, to pay 40,000 stonecutters for a year. That translates into some vast fortunes. Aparrently this value from one ship, and it's reported to have 100 ships per monsoon season to Indian Ocean, it means per year since you need to have two monsoon for departing and returning. This report is for the first century AD, before the trade route reached its peak.
- detourdog 2y ago
  What I love about this perspective is that one can imagine production plans based on catching the monsoon season. The Indian ocean is also no joke to sail through anytime much less monsoon season. This took sophisticated thought and cultural focus to pull off.
  - Bluestein 2y ago
    And calendars, I am sure.-
  - BiteCode_dev 2y ago
    More than that, it takes a very sophisticated and well-integrated society to no only make it possible, but affordable and profitable. With the tech and scales of the times, it's mind-blowing and a testament to how badass humanity already was. What could they have achieved with what we have today?
    - Bayart 2y ago
      > With the tech and scales of the times, it's mind-blowing and a testament to how badass humanity already was. At the scale of the Homo Sapiens Sapiens, Antiquity is yesterday. A good rule of thumb in History is that people were and will be exactly the same as we are.

by thom 2y ago

Bluestein 2y ago

Totally.- PS. That, and antibiotics ...

thom 2y ago

The book seems to be available at: https://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/PLACES/IndOc-Gulf/IndianOcean-McLaughlin2014.pdf https://www.ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/Docu...

teleforce 2y ago

>Its value, after payment of the Roman Empire’s 25 percent import tax, was nearly seven million sesterces, which scholars have calculated was easily enough to buy a luxury estate in central Italy, or, if you prefer, to pay 40,000 stonecutters for a year. That translates into some vast fortunes. Aparrently this value from one ship, and it's reported to have 100 ships per monsoon season to Indian Ocean, it means per year since you need to have two monsoon for departing and returning. This report is for the first century AD, before the trade route reached its peak.

detourdog 2y ago
What I love about this perspective is that one can imagine production plans based on catching the monsoon season. The Indian ocean is also no joke to sail through anytime much less monsoon season. This took sophisticated thought and cultural focus to pull off.
- Bluestein 2y ago
  And calendars, I am sure.-
- BiteCode_dev 2y ago
  More than that, it takes a very sophisticated and well-integrated society to no only make it possible, but affordable and profitable. With the tech and scales of the times, it's mind-blowing and a testament to how badass humanity already was. What could they have achieved with what we have today?
  - Bayart 2y ago
    > With the tech and scales of the times, it's mind-blowing and a testament to how badass humanity already was. At the scale of the Homo Sapiens Sapiens, Antiquity is yesterday. A good rule of thumb in History is that people were and will be exactly the same as we are.