3 ms·

Always good to be reminded how much of the world was connected by trade, a long time ago. The romans had "taprobrane" as a source of Pearls: it's Sri Lanka. The

by ggm 2y ago

Always good to be reminded how much of the world was connected by trade, a long time ago. The romans had "taprobrane" as a source of Pearls: it's Sri Lanka. They'd probably (possibly?) never been there, but they knew people who knew people who traded along the silk road, who got pearls from Sri Lanka. Trade surpasses religious barriers oftentimes. Vikings had offered service to the Byzantine courts presumably sailing down the rivers from the north, or round the coast. Maybe one of them brought something back north, and it wound up moving around in north europe. Walrus ivory would have been a valuable counter-trade going south, or Amber.

willvarfar 2y ago
I'd have guessed that goods from Sri Lanka got to Rome via the Red Sea? My recollection of an "Empire" podcast episode I listened to recently (warmly recommended!) is that as much as half of all Rome's tax was raised at Egyptian ports on goods coming up the Red Sea.
- ggm 2y ago
  yes that might be a shorter path than overland. it would be my guess that in time deeper than roman, egyptian cash and goods were attractive to people in distant lands. Without going full Thor Heyerdal "Ra" they would have been capable of sailing coastal routes round if not a more direct route across the Arabian Seas But it's equally likely they traded indirectly with any of the coastal economies around the Gulf, and Horn of Africa.
- trilbyglens 2y ago
  A major trade route also was from Constantinople up the black sea and then the dnipro river up to the Baltic.
- singularity2001 2y ago
  Yes, via Berenice Troglodytica
- jmclnx 2y ago
  >as much as half of all Rome's tax was raised at Egyptian ports Interesting and makes sense to me. I remember reading a long time ago, when the Eastern Empire lost Egypt to the Arabs, it was considered a huge major disaster for them.
- BurningFrog 2y ago
  Yes, India and the Romans had extensive trade relations for the 6 centuries between the Romans conquered Egypt until the Arabs took it. Facts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Roman_trade_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Roman_trade_relations As I understand it, the Silk Road only became important when the sea route was closed. It lost its importance 800 years later when the Portugese found the sea route around Africa.
RugnirViking 2y ago
Oh there were a good number of romans who had been to india and sri lanka, there were even a good number of roman traders from egypt who sailed as far as malaysia which they called the Golden Chersonese. They didnt really know about china but had some vague ideas that a large empire existed in the east names sinae but iirc they did send a diplomatic mission to it which ended up in vietnam being robbed if I remember right before ending up before the han dynasty with very little tribute and generally being a bit of a dissapointment. There were several other merchants and diplomatic missions over the years but in general it was of minor importance to both empires, far outside their spheres.
- YeGoblynQueenne 2y ago
  Don't forget there was also security collaboration between the two great Empires: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Blade_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Blade_(film) And sometimes war: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix_%26_Obelix:_The_Middle_Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix_%26_Obelix:_The_Middle...
  - CRConrad 2y ago
    I'm usually annoyed as fuck by the idiotic cries of "Wikipedia isn't a source, ha ha ha!" all over the Internet; on the contrary, WP is usually not only an adequate but actually a pretty good first source for ordinary online discussions (and then if you really want to get into details, continue from WP's footnotes). But in this particular case, with these particular WP articles... Yeah yeah, you were probably kidding. But there are also more serious articles on the subject. Like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations .
    - YeGoblynQueenne 2y ago
      I was kidding but thanks for the more serious link anyway.

by ggm 2y ago

willvarfar 2y ago

I'd have guessed that goods from Sri Lanka got to Rome via the Red Sea? My recollection of an "Empire" podcast episode I listened to recently (warmly recommended!) is that as much as half of all Rome's tax was raised at Egyptian ports on goods coming up the Red Sea.

ggm 2y ago
yes that might be a shorter path than overland. it would be my guess that in time deeper than roman, egyptian cash and goods were attractive to people in distant lands. Without going full Thor Heyerdal "Ra" they would have been capable of sailing coastal routes round if not a more direct route across the Arabian Seas But it's equally likely they traded indirectly with any of the coastal economies around the Gulf, and Horn of Africa.
trilbyglens 2y ago
A major trade route also was from Constantinople up the black sea and then the dnipro river up to the Baltic.
singularity2001 2y ago
Yes, via Berenice Troglodytica
jmclnx 2y ago
>as much as half of all Rome's tax was raised at Egyptian ports Interesting and makes sense to me. I remember reading a long time ago, when the Eastern Empire lost Egypt to the Arabs, it was considered a huge major disaster for them.
BurningFrog 2y ago
Yes, India and the Romans had extensive trade relations for the 6 centuries between the Romans conquered Egypt until the Arabs took it. Facts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Roman_trade_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Roman_trade_relations As I understand it, the Silk Road only became important when the sea route was closed. It lost its importance 800 years later when the Portugese found the sea route around Africa.

RugnirViking 2y ago

Oh there were a good number of romans who had been to india and sri lanka, there were even a good number of roman traders from egypt who sailed as far as malaysia which they called the Golden Chersonese. They didnt really know about china but had some vague ideas that a large empire existed in the east names sinae but iirc they did send a diplomatic mission to it which ended up in vietnam being robbed if I remember right before ending up before the han dynasty with very little tribute and generally being a bit of a dissapointment. There were several other merchants and diplomatic missions over the years but in general it was of minor importance to both empires, far outside their spheres.

YeGoblynQueenne 2y ago
Don't forget there was also security collaboration between the two great Empires: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Blade_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Blade_(film) And sometimes war: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix_%26_Obelix:_The_Middle_Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix_%26_Obelix:_The_Middle...
- CRConrad 2y ago
  I'm usually annoyed as fuck by the idiotic cries of "Wikipedia isn't a source, ha ha ha!" all over the Internet; on the contrary, WP is usually not only an adequate but actually a pretty good first source for ordinary online discussions (and then if you really want to get into details, continue from WP's footnotes). But in this particular case, with these particular WP articles... Yeah yeah, you were probably kidding. But there are also more serious articles on the subject. Like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations .
  - YeGoblynQueenne 2y ago
    I was kidding but thanks for the more serious link anyway.