Indo-Mediterranean Explained

The Indo-Mediterranean is the region comprising the Mediterranean world, the Indian Ocean world, and their connecting regions in the vicinity of the Suez Canal.

History

Ancient era

From around 3000 B.C.E. to 1000 C.E., connectivity within Afro-Eurasia was centered upon the Indo-Mediterranean region.^[1] However, Southeast Asia was only loosely connected to the Indo-Mediterranean trade, primarily receiving a few Mediterranean objects through the filter of South Asia.^[2] In the second half of the first century BCE, the Roman Empire emerged with a unified realm and control over the Mediterranean, allowing for more investment and wealth generation; this Pax Romana allowed Rome to become involved in the Indian Ocean trade.^[3] Their 32 CE conquest of Egypt better positioned them to be involved in the region, with Indian ambassadors coming to Rome in increasing numbers as the Indo-Roman trade began to greatly expand in volume;^{[4] [5]} Greek merchants settled on the west coast of India to facilitate the trade,^[6] with Romans celebrating the luxury products and wealth thusly acquired.^[7] The Indo-Mediterranean also facilitated interactions between India and the Mesopotamians, Anatolians and Greeks in different time periods;^[8] many actors were involved in facilitating trade throughout this region, including Egyptians, Nabateans and Palmyrenes.^[9]

Some evidence is present to suggest that Indo-Mediterranean trade may have also involved a "northern route" through the Caspian Sea and Pontic–Caspian steppe.^[10]

Medieval era

See also: Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts (1538–1560). By the 14th century, buoyed by the emergence of overlapping trading networks from the western regions of Africa to the east coast, central sub-Saharan Africa became more involved in Indo-Mediterranean trade, with the Indo-Mediterranean generally going on to become more economically unified by the spread of Islam.^[11]

Modern era

In the late 19th century, British planners contemplated building an Indo-Mediterranean railway to shore up lines of communication with British India in case the Suez Canal was blocked.^{[12] [13]}

Italian foreign policy planners have recently been examining Italy's modern role in the "Enlarged Mediterranean", including its ties to the Indo-Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific.^{[14] [15]}

See also

• India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
• Berenice Troglodytica, a historical Egyptian port serving Indo-Mediterranean trade^[16]
• Indo-Atlantic

Further reading

• Entre mers—Outre-mer: Spaces, Modes and Agents of Indo-Mediterranean Connectivity
• Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean: one world, two seas, multiple routes?
• Porous Connections: The Mediterranean and the Red Sea

Notes and References

1. Burke . Edmund . 2009 . Islam at the Center: Technological Complexes and the Roots of Modernity . Journal of World History . 20 . 2 . 165–186 . 1045-6007.
2. Hoppál . Krisztina . Bellina . Bérénice . Dussubieux . Laure . May 2024 . Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean World at the Turn of the First Millennium ce: Networks, Commodities and Cultural Reception . Cambridge Archaeological Journal . en . 34 . 2 . 291–314 . 10.1017/S0959774323000264 . 0959-7743.
3. Pollard . Elizabeth Ann . 2009 . Pliny's Natural History and the Flavian Templum Pacis: Botanical Imperialism in First-Century C. E. Rome . Journal of World History . 20 . 3 . 309–338 . 1045-6007.
4. Book: Rome and the Worlds beyond its Frontiers . 2016 . Brill . Slootjes . Daniëlle . 167 . English . Peachin . Michael.
5. Sidebotham . Steven E. . January 2016 . A conference on Indo-Mediterranean commerce - Federico de Romanis and Marco Maiuro (eds.), Across the Ocean: Nine Essays on Indo-Mediterranean Trade (Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition vol. 41; Brill, Leiden 2015). Pp. ix + 204, figs. 6, maps 7 including colour. ISBN 978-90-04-28919-2. EUR 99/$128. . Journal of Roman Archaeology . en . 29 . 915–919 . 10.1017/S1047759400073001 . 1047-7594.
6. Book: Malekandathil, Pius . Maritime India: Trade, Religion and Polity in the Indian Ocean . 2010 . Primus Books . 978-93-80607-01-6 . en.
7. Book: Zarmakoupi, Mantha . Designing for Luxury on the Bay of Naples: Villas and Landscapes (c. 100 BCE - 79 CE) . 2014 . OUP Oxford . 978-0-19-967838-9 . en.
8. Dandekar . R.N. . 1970 . Some Aspects of the Indo-Mediterranean Contacts . Diogenes . en . 18 . 71 . 18–38 . 10.1177/039219217001807102 . 0392-1921.
9. Simmons . Jeremy A. . November 2023 . Behind gold for pepper: The players and the game of Indo-Mediterranean trade . Journal of Global History . en . 18 . 3 . 343–364 . 10.1017/S1740022823000165 . 1740-0228. free .
10. Book: Schneider, Pierre . From India to the Black Sea : an overlooked trade route? . 2017.
11. https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/MqJlBLaw/2006/9.html# The Black Road – Trade and State-Building in Medieval Sub-Saharan Africa
12. Stratton . Morton B. . 1944 . British Railways and Motor Roads in the Middle East--1918-1930 . Economic Geography . 20 . 2 . 116 . 10.2307/141053.
13. Book: Cameron, Verney Lovett . Our Future Highway to India . 1880 . Macmillan and Company . en.
14. Coticchia . Fabrizio . Mazziotti di Celso . Matteo . 2024-01-10 . Still on the same path? Italian foreign and defence policy in the Enlarged Mediterranean . Mediterranean Politics . en . 1–10 . 10.1080/13629395.2023.2294252 . 1362-9395.
15. Web site: Shenoy . Vas . 2021-12-30 . Exploring Draghi's Italy and its relation with India . 2024-05-30 . Decode39 . en-US.
16. Kotarba-Morley . Anna M. . 2015-07-03 . The Port of Berenike Troglodytica on the Red Sea: A Landscape-Based Approach to the Study of its Harbour and its Role in Indo-Mediterranean Trade . Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa . en . 50 . 3 . 422–423 . 10.1080/0067270X.2015.1092208 . 0067-270X.