The Persian Gulf or the Red Sea? Two axes in ancient Indian Ocean trade, where to go and why

Abstract

From the first century bce until the third century ce, Roman trade with the Indian Ocean passed by way of two major axes: the Red Sea–Nile and the Persian Gulf–Syrian Desert. The overall distance by way of the Persian Gulf–Syrian Desert route was considerably shorter, but the overland part of the journey was almost four times longer, and goods had to pass through politically tense border regions between the Parthian and Roman empires. Although the relative importance of the two routes probably varied, both were in operation at the same time and for a prolonged period. How can this be explained? This article explores the passages from India to the Mediterranean in the Roman imperial period and argues that a relatively straightforward answer is to be found in the annual rhythms of movement responding to ocean winds, desert weather and river floods.