Roman Egypt to peninsular India (patterns of trade)
by Sunil Gupta | 1997 | 132,380 words
This essay examines the early maritime trade between India and the Roman Empire, focusing on archaeological evidence from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. It analyzes artifacts from Mediterranean origin found in peninsular India and Indian Ocean regions, exploring trade routes, commodities, and business practices. It situates Indo-Roman tr...
13. Cameos (of Graeco-Roman workmanship )
Indian Subcontinent: From Arikamedu, Wheeler et al. (1946:101) reports 'a quartz intaglio of Graeco-Roman workmanship representing Cupid and a bird...' discovered by French prospectors and kept in the Pondicherry Museum. Wheeler also mentions 'the casual discovery of a gem said to bear the head of Augustus Caesar (1 st century A.D.).' The intaglio in question was lost when Wheeler heard about it. A number of cameo 'blanks' have been recovered from Arikamedu (Francis, Jr. 1987). One such blank was found by the author while exploring the 'bead factory' area of Arikamedu mound (Pl. XII.a). From Ter (Maharashtra) two oval carnelian seals were recovered. The seals, though depicting Indian themes (bust of man and figure of bull), nevertheless show influence of Mediterranean crafting (Cimino 1994: 178-181, Pl. LIV:1-2). From the site of Karvan near Baroda (Gujarat) was found a cameo of red agate showing the bust of a lady of probable Hellenic origin. A carnelian cameo crafted using Graeco-Roman techniques was also discovered at Paithan, Maharashtra (Cimino 1994:185-187). In Jetavanarama, Sri Lanka was found an intaglio depicting a Roman figure inspired by portraitures on Roman coins (Bopearachchi 1996:71). Southeast Asia: From the ancient beadworking coastal site of Khlong Thom (Malaysia) were found three Roman carnelian intaglios, two portraying the Goddess Tyche or Fortuna and a pair of fighting cockerels and the third with the figure of God Perseus. They are dated to late 1 st-2 nd century A.D. (Glover 1996:135).