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Document Details :

Title: The Exchange of Goods from Italy to India during the Early Roman Empire
Subtitle: The Range of Travelling Times
Author(s): COBB, Matthew Adam
Journal: Ancient West & East
Volume: 13    Date: 2014   
Pages: 89-116
DOI: 10.2143/AWE.13.0.3038733

Abstract :
This paper examines the evidence for the time taken for a circuitous flow of goods between Italy and India to occur. It is argued that the distinct nature of the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean trading spheres meant that it was often not possible for this circuit to be completed within one year. In particular, a comparison of papyrological, epigraphic and literary sources indicates that a variety of natural and manmade factors greatly impacted on these schedules. Consequently the goods which were traded between these two economic zones fluctuated in volume, nature and the prices for which they were sold.

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