How Maritime Trade And The Indian Subcontinent Sharped The Word: Ice Age to Mid-Eighth Century

Maritime trade has been the key driver of wealth-creation, economic progress, human long-distance interaction and information exchange. The story begins in the Indian Ocean with ancient connectivity from Africa to Asia and to the Americas and India to the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean and Europe. Much predates the end of the Ice Age and the world wide Flood around 5600 BC. Indian culture, the largest, most ancient body of literature influenced east and west, culturally, linguistically and philosophically, stimulating other civilisations. It was the cradle of civilisation. In the ancient world merchants were unique in travelling long distances, living far from home in merchant enclaves, absorbing cultural influences. The main pulses are described including Greece’s need for food imports leading to the Trojan War, the rise of Mediterranean civilisations, Phoenician, Greek and Roman trade with India via Egypt and its cultural legacy. When it collapsed European maritime trade was at a virtual standstill, a dark age, while Asian volumes increased Shipping and trade studies can be technical, legalistic and dull for non-specialists. But this history is broadly based, an excellent account of human interaction at multiple levels, for general readers, specialists and practitioners. It is based on huge reading and rare sources and with an attractive writing style, and full of fascinating sidelights, illuminating the historical narrative- and from an author with life-long experience in international shipping.