It appears that in the age of Agatharcides,
the monopoly of the trade between India and Europe by this route was wholly
possessed by the Sabeans; that, in order to evade the effects of this
monopoly, the Greeks of Egypt found their way to Aden and Hadraumaut, in
Arabia, and to Mosullon on the coast of Africa. Here they met with other
Arabians, who at this time also traded to India, and sold them Indian goods
at a cheaper rate. And, lastly, we have seen that these ports on the
southern coast of Arabia, and on the coast of Africa, were frequented by
the merchants of Egypt, till, by the discovery of the monsoon, their ships
were enabled to sail directly to India. It is undoubtedly true that before
this discovery, single ships occasionally reached India by adhering to the
coast all the way, but the direct communication was very rare. After the
nature of the monsoon was thoroughly understood, and it was ascertained
that complete dependence could be placed on its steadiness and regularity,
and that by its change, the ships could be brought as safely and quickly
back from India, as they had reached it, the ancients, who at first only
ventured to the mouth of the Indus, gradually made their way down the
western coast of the Indian peninsula.
The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, a work which has been frequently
referred to, is rich in materials to illustrate the geographical knowledge
and the commercial enterprize of the ancients in the part of the world to
which it relates.
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