1. The ancient sources for Rome's eastern trade 2. Diplomatic
contacts between the Roman Empire and the distant East 3. Roman
Egypt and the sea route to India 4. The Roman Empire and Arabian
trade 5. Trade routes through Persia and the Silk Road connection
6. The impact on the Roman world
Studies the complex system of trade exchanges and commerce that profoundly changed Roman society.
Dr Raoul McLaughlin is a Tutor at Queen's University Belfast. His research interests include Roman commerce and the ancient economy.
In the half century since Mortimer Wheeler's pioneering Rome Beyond
the Imperial Frontiers appeared, the archaeological and scholarly
inquiry of the Far East has expanded dramatically. A synthetic
up-to-date account of the progress of this inquiry has been a
desideratum. Raoul McLaughlin's Rome and the Distant East has
heroically tackled this important task, assembling the exotic and
esoteric literature, and with penetrating insight analyzed the
extensive trade that characterized the international world of the
early Roman imperium. The study is comprehensive, involving both
the aromatics trade with Arabia and India, and the fabled Silk Road
that connected China with the distant Da Qin—as the Chinese called
Rome—in the west, and exploring the commercial arteries, both the
overland caravan routes and sea routes, and including a discussion
of the impact of the luxury trade on the Roman economy. There is
much to glean from this stimulating and interesting study that
should attract historians, economists, and a variety of other
scholars
*Professor David Graf, University of Miami, US*
This is the first comprehensive, reliable account of the
extensive overland and maritime trade between the Roman Empire and
the "Distant East" in the early centuries CE. It is
well-researched, well-written, and well-supported with liberal
quotes, useful maps, and an excellent bibliography. It clearly
describes how important these early contacts were, both
economically and for the exchange of ideas, across Eurasia -
contacts that continue to influence our world today and our
understanding of it. His vivid descriptions of the difficulties
faced and overcome in establishing these intercontinental and
trans-oceanic trade routes are particularly fascinating. This work
already has a permanent place among the few treasured references I
always keep to hand while writing. I heartily recommend it as
essential reading for anyone with an interest in the ancient
history of the Silk Routes, the Roman or Chinese Empires, India,
Persia, or the lands between. It is certain to open new vistas, and
deepen appreciation of both ancient and modern societies.
*John E. Hill, author of Through the Jade Gate to Rome*
Featured on further reading list in History Today article.
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