The Indian Ocean - Michael Pearson [39]
Now that we have some details we find the first occurrence of an irony, one which continues through most of the history of the Indian Ocean. The core or focus or fulcrum or centre of gravity of Indian Ocean trade and travel was always India, as we will have occasion to notice frequently as we progress. Yet through most of history maritime trade was, for India, optional rather than necessary, for the subcontinent was until very recent times self-sufficient in all basic needs. Trade by sea then was discretionary, and this in turn may explain why the sea has always been on the periphery of Indian consciousness, at least as compared with several other areas in the Indian Ocean, let alone such nautical places as England or coastal Europe in general.
The main port associated with the Indus Valley Civilisation was Lothal, in the Gulf of Cambay, though there were others in the Rann of Kutch and in Oman which also connected India with Dilmun, the famed port at Bahrain in the Gulf, and with Mesopotamia, especially the city of Ur.17 Civilisation in Mesopotamia was located on a delta. The area had no rocks or minerals or even suitable timber. Consequently trade was much more essential for Mesopotamia than it was for the Indus Valley Civilisation. The latter had all the raw materials it needed, so that for them trade was discretionary. It was undertaken in part to get new markets, and in part to bring back exotica. Mesopotamia imported rarities from India, and also necessities, such as Indian teak. Other goods originating from India have been found in the royal cemetery of Ur dating from 2600–2500 BCE, such as carnelian beads. Later Sargon of Akkad boasted of trade with Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (Makran and Oman) and Meluhha (Indus Valley Civilisation area). Goods passing from the Indus Valley Civilisation to Mesopotamia at this time included hard woods, tin or lead, copper, gold, silver, carnelian, shell, pearls and ivory, and animals such as red dogs, cats, peacocks and monkeys. Indus Valley Civilisation weights and seals have been found in Mesopotamia.18
Other evidence also points to sea trade being much more central for the cities in the Tigris-Euphrates valley than for the Indus Valley Civilisation. Sumerian tables not only mention trade goods, but also speak of other maritime matters, such as kings and merchants going overseas, lists of cargoes, and even shipwrecks and other maritime disasters. Even if we cannot read the Indus Valley script, we can assume that its leaders, whoever they may have been, showed much less concern with the sea.
The fragmentary evidence outlined here deals mostly with long-distance, glamorous, trade. Yet throughout this book we will have to remember that unsung, and unrecorded, coastal trade was also present, indeed most of the time was far more important than the long-distance trade catering to the needs of the elite which is privileged in almost all records. Trade in necessities is hard to document, for such staples as foodstuffs and cloths leave no archaeological trace. Yet it is clear that there was quite extensive sea trade within the Indus Valley Civilisation, from for example the area at the mouth of the Indus river to Lothal. Romila Thapar, writing of trade between India and Mesopotamia from 3000 BCE, pointed out that many small ships 'tramped from port to port and were travelling bazaars, largely covering the more confined circuits. Such a low profile trade continues to the present.'19 This coastal trade occurred all around the margins of the Indian Ocean. For example, there were contacts along the Swahili coast, between