Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c24.2

v1.c24.2

Following the annexation of Egypt by Octavius (later known as Emperor Augustus) in 31 BC, Rome opened its direct trade route with India, and within a few years (22 BC) a Pāṇḍya king sent an ambassador to Augustus. During the reign of Augustus (viz. before AD 14) the monsoon trade wind, conducive for direct shipping to India without following the Arabian and Persian coast, was discovered for the first time by a Graeco-Roman sailor, Hippalos. The successive writings of Pliny (AD 23-79), the unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, Marinos, Ptolemy (AD 90-168), Arrian and Justin reveal the multiple dimensions of the Indo-Roman trade for three centuries.