gems, trade, commerce, early trade, India, China, steatite talc, Rome, Indo-Roman trade

Trade routes—both land and sea—formed a complex network by which goods and cultures moved across the ancient world (p. 150). Key players in this trade included the Nabateans, Ptolemies, Roman Empire, Seleucids, and Indian and South Arabian traders. After the loss of Syria and the Aegean under Ptolemy V, Ptolemaic attention shifted eastward toward India (p. 150), helping to set the stage for expanding eastern commerce. The first two centuries A.D. marked the peak of Indo-Roman trade (p. 156), a period richly documented in texts like the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, which detailed maritime routes and commercial practices. Earlier, figures such as Eudoxos had already attempted voyages to India, further emphasizing the longstanding interest in eastern trade.