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Trade Routes and Cultural Interactions (TRCI)

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Course Type Course Code No. Of Credits
Foundation Core

Objectives:

'Trade Routes and Cultural Interactions' is a core course in the 3rdsemester for Archaeology and Heritage Management.

It will employ multidisciplinary studies to understand the antiquity of commercial and cultural interactions that shaped the archaeological and historical past. It will introduce the students to the 'Process of Dialogue in Civilisations.' The concepts related to economy, trade and commerce, cultural Interactions, and shifting paradigms from one region to another will be discussed.

The importance of cultural interactions remains evident in modern society and the economy. Different ethnic groups facilitated the circulation of goods and ideas, giving rise to a common cosmopolitan global culture recognizable in layers throughout the study of the human past. It is also important to note that it is impossible to conceive contemporary India and the world without considering the historical impact of the subcontinent's connections to its larger oceanic region and transnational networks.

The pedagogy and assessment are designed and structured so the student can submit continuous evaluations and assignments on the applicability of the modules/resource/ idea of their choice and case studies based on the course's learning outcomes.

 

Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn the critical analysis of various archaeological and cultural sources, folklore, local cultures, and literary traditions related to commercial and cultural interactions between the civilizations.
  • Critical analysis of different nations' traditional notions of economic-centric and cultural-centric histories.
  • Understand the shared past heritage in the context of the contemporary ethos of globalization, commercialization, cultural interactions, mobility and circulation of ideas.
  •  Learn about the origin and exchange of trade commodities, the role of merchants, traders, and trading organizations and the part of the state.
  • Silk Route and Land routes that connect different countries and their impacts and role in the world's geopolitics and social and religious history.
  • Spice Routes that bind the nations in the maritime zone of the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea and how they will affect their lives over the centuries. Students will learn how the sea's history often determines the land's history.

Modules:

Module I: Understanding Many Facets of Trade and Commerce, viz, Sources, Transport, Role of Organizations and State and Medium of Exchange and Currency system.

Module II: Trade Links between Harappa and Contemporary Civilisations. The module will focus on developing the Harappan Civilisation's internal and external trade networks with other contemporary civilizations, especially the Mesopotamian civilization.

 

Module III: Trade and cultural links with the Greco-Roman world, Central Asia, and China The development of the Silk trade, Silk routes, and the establishment of states and cities in Central Asia led to the synthesis of Eastern and Western civilizations. These cultural and commercial contacts added value to developing intellectual and artistic heritage in the respective regions. The diffusion of culture between India and parts of Central Asia, China, and the Graeco-Roman world is the focus area of this module.

Module V: Trade and Cultural Links of India with Africa and West Asia.

For millennia, the Indian Ocean has played an essential role in connecting people, products, and ideas of the land of India with African and West Asian countries and regions. The commercial and cultural relationship between India and West Asian countries is well documented during the medieval period. The module will define the sources, trading commodities, diplomatic relations and role of monsoon and its impact on trade.

Module IV: Trade and cultural links with South East Asia and Sri Lanka.

The commercial and cultural interactions between India, Southeast Asia, and Sri Lanka had long and sustained historical and mutual engagements, which are unique and unparalleled. The module will explore the presence of India's long-standing linkage with Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka and their impacts in the fields of religion, culture, society, economy, diaspora, and the role of Indianized states of the region.

Module VI: Advent of European East India Companies in India.

India has been a significant trading destination for many European countries in the ancient and medieval eras. The discovery of an alternate sea route via the Cape of Good Hope to India and the arrival of Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French on Indian soil and their settlement led to the development of a new trade model that impacted the Indian polity, economy, and society. This module will discuss the nature of foreign trade, policies, and strategies adopted by European companies and the role of factories and townships established in India that changed modern India.

Reading List:

  • Ahmad Zubair, 2018, Indo-Arab Relations: An Account of India's Relations with the Arab World and Vice Versa Through the Ages, Noor Publishing
  • Alpers, E. A., 2003, "The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean: A Comparative Perspective," in Shihan De S. Jayasuriya & Richard Pankhurst, The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean, Africa World Press.
  • Andre Wink,2020, Al-Hind, The Making of Indo-Islamic World c. 700-1800 C E, 2 Vol, Oxford University Press.
  • B.B.Lal. 1997. Earliest Civilisation of South Asia, Aryan Book Publishers
  • Burton, James H.; Price, T. Douglas; Kenoyer, J. Mark (2013). "A new approach to tracking connections between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia: initial results of strontium isotope analyses from Harappa and Ur". Journal of Archaeological Science. 40 (5): 2286–2297. 
  • Chattopadhyay B.D. 2014. Essays in Indian Economic History. Primus.
  • D.K. Chakrabarti,1990, The External Trade of the Indus Civilization, New Delhi
  • D.P. Singhal, 1969, India and the World Civilization, New Delhi.
  • Das Gupta, Asin, and M. N. Pearson 1987, India and the Indian Ocean 1500-1800, Oxford University Press.
  • Dennys Frenez, G.M. Jamison ed. 2018. Walking with Unicorn: Social Organisation and Material Culture in Ancient South Asia: JMKenoyer Felicitation Volume, Oxford, Archaeopress Publishing limited.
  • Edward Alpers, 2014, The Indian Ocean in World History, Oxford University Press.
  • Ghosh, Amitav,2021, The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis, Chicago University Press.
  • H. Dani, V.M Masson (Ed.) History of Civilization of Central Asia,6 Vols, UNESCO.
  • H.P. Ray, 2015, Beyond Trade: Cultural Roots of Indian Ocean, New Delhi
  • H.P. Ray,2021, The Archaeology of Knowledge, Traditions of the Indian Ocean World, Routledge.
  • J. Mark Kenoyer, 1998, Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation, Oxford University Press.
  • Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies
  • K N Chaudhuri, 1985, Trade and Civilization in the Indian Ocean, Cambridge University Press.
  • K. K. Thapliyal, 1996, Guilds in Ancient India, New Age International Private Limited.
  • Kangle R.P. 2014 The Kautilya Arthasastra:3 Vols, Exotic Indian Art
  • Lokesh Chandra, 2016, India and China: Beyond and the within, Aditya Prakashan
  • Lokesh Chandra, 2020, Buddhist Heritage of Central India, Aryan Books
  • Lokesh Chandra, 2020, India and South East Asia, Aditya Prakashan
  • Mathew Adam Cobb, 2019, The Indian Ocean Trade in Antiquity, Political, Cultural and Economic Impacts, Routledge.
  • Motichandra, 1953, Sarthavaha, Bihar Rashtrabhasa Parishad.
  • Nayanjot Lahiri, 1992, The Archaeology of Indian Trade Routes up to c.  200 BC, Oxford University Press.
  • Nicholas Torling, 1993, The Cambridge History of South East Asia, 2 Vols, Cambridge University Press.
  • Om Prakash, 1998, European Commercial Enterprise in Pre-Colonial India, Cambridge University Press.
  • Om Prakash, 2014, Dutch East India Company and the Economy of Bengal, 1630-1720, Princeton University Press.
  • P.C. Prasad, 2011, Foreign Trade & Commerce in Ancient India, New Delhi.
  • Pearson, Michael, et al., 2010, Eyes Across the Water: Navigating the Indian Ocean, Unisa Press.
  • R. C. Majumdar, 1986, Suvarnadvipa: Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East, Calcutta.
  • R. Champaklakhmi, 1996, Trade, Ideology and Urbanisation of South India, 300 B.C to AD 1300,  Oxford University Press.Delhi.
  • Ranbir Chakravarty, 2016, Exploring Early India up to 1300 A.D. Primus Books Delhi.
  • Raoul Mclaughlin, 2014, The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient World Economy and the Kingdoms of Africa, Arabia and India, London
  • Richard Hall, 1996, Empires of Monsoon, A History of Indian Oceans and its Invaders, Harper Collins.
  • Richard Stoneman, 2019, The Greek Experience of India: From Alexander to Indo-Greeks, Princeton University Press.
  • Sanjiv Sanyal, 2016, The Ocean of Churn, How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History,
  • Shashi Tharoor, 2016, An Era of Darkness, the British Empire in India, Aleph Book Company.
  • Srivastava, Balrama 1968. Trade and Commerce in Ancient India, Chowkhamba Prakashan.
  • V. K Jain, 1990, Trade and Traders in Western India AD 100-1300, Munshiram and Manoharlal, New Delhi.
  • Xinru-Liu, 1996, Silk and Religion: An Exploration of Material Life and Thought of People A.D.  600-1200, Oxford University Press.

Xinru-Liu,1988, Ancient India and Ancient China Trade & Religious Exchange, Oxford University Press

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