Trade in the Subcontinent and Beyond

Trade Routes and Merchants

• By the sixth century BCE, extensive land and river routes connected the subcontinent to Central Asia, North and East Africa, West Asia, Southeast Asia, and China.
• Coastal ports served as crucial hubs for trade across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
• Rulers sought to control these trade routes, often providing protection to merchants for a fee.
• Traders included peddlers traveling on foot and merchants using caravans with bullock carts and pack animals.
• Seafaring ventures were risky but could yield substantial profits, contributing to the wealth of successful merchants.
• Tamil term "masattuvan" and Prakrit terms "setthis" and "satthavahas" referred to affluent traders in the region.
• A variety of goods exchanged included salt, grain, textiles, metal ores, stone, timber, and medicinal plants.
• The Roman Empire's demand for spices, textiles, and medicinal plants drove trade across the Arabian Sea.

Coinage and Commercial Networks

• The introduction of coinage facilitated trade and exchange, with punch-marked coins emerging around the sixth century BCE.
• Made of silver and copper, these coins have been found in various archaeological sites across the subcontinent.
• Numismatists analyze these coins to map out ancient commercial networks and trade relationships.
• Many punch-marked coins are believed to be issued by kings, possibly linked to specific dynasties like the Mauryas.
• Merchants, bankers, and urban residents might also have produced some coins.
• Indo-Greeks initiated coins featuring rulers’ names and images around the second century BCE in the north-western subcontinent.
• The Kushanas issued the largest number of gold coins around the first century CE, with consistent weight across their minting.

Explore the intricate trade networks that emerged from the sixth century BCE in the subcontinent. Learn about the overland and maritime routes that connected various regions, from Central Asia to Southeast Asia, and the role of rulers in controlling these routes. This quiz will test your understanding of the historical trade dynamics and their geographical significance.