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Arabian Ocean or western Indian Ocean to India. The return was scheduled in the month of November, when the northeast monsoon provided favorable winds till the entrance of the Red Sea.81
The Arabs on the other hand used different schedule for getting to India. They delayed their departure until the end of August and did their sailing over the open waters in September when the southwest monsoon had lost its bite. This was dictated by the nature of the Arab ships; their hull was not strong enough and their rigs not fitted for the blustery blast of the southwest monsoon, but the ships of Rome and Egypt qualified on both this account. They were supremely strong and were built in a very special fashion.82
There was yet another reason for the proliferation of the sea rout with all its risks and disadvantages as compared to the land rout. The political and economic considerations favored these sea routs in the Ptolemaic and the Roman period. Parthia and later Sassania were large, powerful and often hostile states straddling the overland caravan route between the Roman world in the west and China and India in the east. Economic considerations also played a role in promoting maritime commerce. It was much cheaper to ship goods in bulk by sea then to transport them overland.
Ptolemy II Philadelphus (283/282-246BC) was the first Hellenistic ruler of Egypt to promote trade with south Arabia and sub Saharan Africa. He also seems to have encouraged trade with India. To encourage this trade he and his successors constructed ports on the red sea coast of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia as far south as Bab el Mandeb, the entrance to Indian Ocean.83
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The port Eudamon Arabia, The modern day Eden, flourished in third century BC and functioned as the hub for primary transshipment of goods from the Mediterranean lands and India,84
The Zenith of this commerce through Egypt was from reign of Augustus to mid or late second century AD. Then it showed a decline due to political turmoil and economic chaos. However it shows revival from fourth to seventh century AD.
There was an equally active marine trade on the east coast of India with the far eastern countries.
The remnants of the Greco-Roman trade have been found from quite a few sites in India. They are in forms of pottery, coins, bronze figurines, glass etc. Few of these sites have been excavated and studied. They are Nevasa, Ter, Kondapur and Kolhapur in the western Deccan, Nagara, Bharuch, Amareli and few other places in Gujarat, and Arikmedu in south.
In my 20 years of research at Nani Rayan I have discovered mold made pottery, rouletted ware, roman amphorae, bronze metal prototype of the mold made pottery, human figurines, roman grinding stone and Byzantine coin establishing this site as an important place on the west coast involved in Indo Roman trade from pre-periplus era to much later period extending till almost seventh century
AD.
In the chapters that follow I described the site of Nani Rayan and my finds from that sites. This will open a new window to gaze into our glorious past.
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Lionel Casson chapter 1 Rome and India ancient sea trade
Lionel Casson chapter 1 Rome and India ancient sea trade
Stevan E. Sidebotham. Rome and India ancient sea trade, chapter 2
Sunil Gupta The archeo historical...Man and Environment vol 22 2001
Jain Education International
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Overseas Shipping and Trade in Anciant India Stvarjaleelibrary.or
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