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Full Description
Two major trends have so far dominated the maritime history of ancient India: in the western Indian Ocean, the emphasis has been on the enterprise and nautical skills of the foreigners - the Romans and Arabs who relegated Indian seafarers to coastal trade; while in the Bay of Bengal, brahmins as well as Indian merchants are credited with the expansion of Indian culture into Southeast Asia. On the basis of literary, archaeological and ethnographic sources, this text argues that a complex, indigenous maritime network existed in South Asia in the period, 400 BC to AD 400, which involved the Arabs, Indians and Oriental Greeks as well as Southeast Asian communities. Additionally, it exposes the need for a close examination of diverse techniques of boat-construction before the superiority of Mediterranean vessels is postulated, as has been the case in historical studies so far.
