Indian foreign trade with the Western world is known to have existed since the Harappan period, but it reached a high watermark under the Kushana. The Geo-political situation of the Kushana Empire makes the North-Western region of the country, the meeting points of the three civilizations i.e. China, India and West Asia. The brick trade was carried on the regions between Ganga, The Indus, The Euphrates, The Oxus and the Mediterranean, Caspian and Black-Sea, especially with Roman Empire, in the first century and second century A.D. and Kushana Empire had a great share in it. The prosperity of Kushana towns developed largely on the wealth derived from their international trade.
Table of Contents
1. Trade with the Roman Empire.
2. Trade with Eastern Turkistan.
3. Trade with China.
4. Sea Trade with Foreign Countries.
Objectives and Topics
This work examines the scope, routes, and economic significance of international trade during the Kushana period, analyzing how the empire's strategic position facilitated extensive commercial exchanges between India and major civilizations such as the Roman Empire, China, and Central Asia.
- The role of the Kushana Empire in controlling major Silk Road routes.
- Commercial relations and the exchange of luxury goods with the Roman Empire.
- Economic integration with Eastern Turkistan and China via land and maritime channels.
- The impact of geographical discoveries, such as monsoon winds, on maritime navigation and trade volume.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Trade with the Roman Empire.
In the Roman Empire, there was a great fancy for Indian mineral products which were used in the decoration of furniture, utensils, ornaments and other luxurious objects. Roman ladies were so fond of Indian pearls that they not only wore them on their fingers and ears but also put them on their shoes. Pliny tells us that Indian also exported to the Roman Empire metals like copper-iron and steel, steel weapons and gold. The Indians imported slaves, singing girls to be employed by Indian kings or to be kept in their harems, fine red coral of the Mediterranean, flax cloth, and Italian wine, storax, sweet clover, metal gold, copper, tin, lead, metal lamps and vases, glass and glass objects. This caused concern in the Roman Empire and made Pliny lament that “at the lowest computation India and Arabia drained from the empire a hundred million Sesterces every year and that India took away from Rome not less than fifty-five million Sesterces yearly, giving in return merchandise which was sold for one hundrefd times its original cost”. According to Wheeler, the Kushana adopted measures to see that ‘such Roman gold as was admitted to this border states was removed by mutilation from possible rivalry as currency and relegated to use as bullions or ornament.
Summary of Chapters
1. Trade with the Roman Empire: This chapter details the high demand for Indian luxury goods and minerals in Rome and the subsequent outflow of Roman gold in exchange for Indian commodities.
2. Trade with Eastern Turkistan: This section explores the trade networks centered in the Oases of Central Asia, supported by archaeological findings and early traveler accounts.
3. Trade with China: This chapter describes the land and sea routes that connected India with China, facilitating the exchange of silk and other precious merchandise.
4. Sea Trade with Foreign Countries: This chapter provides an overview of the maritime infrastructure and the various international ports that sustained India's commercial connectivity with the wider world.
Keywords
Kushana Empire, Foreign Trade, Silk Road, Roman Empire, Monsoon, Ancient India, Maritime Routes, Economic History, Commerce, Trade Commodities, Kanishka, Numismatics, Cultural Exchange, Archaeology, International Trade
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research?
The work focuses on the economic landscape and the flourishing international trade relations of the Kushana Empire during the early centuries of the Christian era.
Which regions were the primary trading partners?
The primary trading partners included the Roman Empire, China, Eastern Turkistan, and various states across South-East Asia and the Mediterranean.
What is the main objective of the study?
The objective is to document how the Kushana Empire's political and geographical control enabled a peak in commercial prosperity through both land-based and maritime trade routes.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author utilizes historical analysis, synthesizing information from literary sources (Greco-Roman writers, Indian epics) and archaeological evidence (inscriptions, coins, and ancient travel accounts).
What is covered in the main section?
The main section investigates specific trade corridors, the types of goods exchanged, and the impact of these interactions on the economy and social structure of the Kushana period.
Which keywords best describe the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Kushana Empire, Silk Road, Maritime Routes, Roman trade, and ancient Indian economy.
What significance did the discovery of monsoon winds have?
The discovery of monsoon winds by Hippalus was a major catalyst that allowed for faster and more direct maritime travel between the Indian subcontinent and West Asian ports.
Why was Roman gold significant in this period?
The massive influx of Roman gold, used to pay for oriental luxury goods, led the Kushana to issue their own gold coinage, which helped standardize commercial transactions between the East and the West.
How did the Kushana influence the Silk Road?
The Kushana established full control over the Indus Valley and key points in Central Asia, effectively acting as a bridge between the civilizations of China, India, and the West.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Dr. Arjun Singh (Autor:in), 2014, Foreign Trade and Items of Trade under the Kushana, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/275450
