The Classical Period, c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE: 2.6: Trade Networks and Cultural Encounters in the Classical World (Sources 1–7)

The merchandise imported there consists of purple cloths, both fine and coarse; clothing in the Arabian style, with sleeves; plain, ordinary, embroidered, or interwoven with gold; saffron, sweet rush, muslins, cloaks, blankets (not many), some plain and others made in the local fashion; sashes of different colors, fragrant ointments in moderate quantity. (Source 2)

The merchandise imported there consists of purple cloths, both fine and coarse; clothing in the Arabian style, with sleeves; plain, ordinary, embroidered, or interwoven with gold; saffron, sweet rush, muslins, cloaks, blankets (not many), some plain and others made in the local fashion; sashes of different colors, fragrant ointments in moderate quantity. (Source 2)

The merchandise imported there consists of purple cloths, both fine and coarse; clothing in the Arabian style, with sleeves; plain, ordinary, embroidered, or interwoven with gold; saffron, sweet rush, muslins, cloaks, blankets (not many), some plain and others made in the local fashion; sashes of different colors, fragrant ointments in moderate quantity. (Source 2)

There are exported from the same place the things produced in the country: selected myrrh [incense, and] alabaster. (Source 2)

There are exported from the same place the things produced in the country: selected myrrh [incense, and] alabaster. (Source 2)

With favorable winds it takes two months; if the winds are slow, perhaps a year; if there is no wind, perhaps three years. (Source 3)

They have a tradition of amazing conjuring. They can produce fire from their mouths, bind and then free themselves, and juggle 12 balls with extraordinary skill. (Source 3)

The close relationship between Buddhism and trade is largely due to the reliance of the Buddhist monastic community on donations from lay supporters. (Source 5)

Ideally, Buddhist monks and nuns were required to reject all worldly possessions and thus to depend on the lay community to supply all of their necessities, including food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. (Source 5)

Significant economic surpluses were needed to sustain large-scale Buddhist institutions, where, in return for donations, monks and nuns were available to give religious instruction. (Source 5)

Significant economic surpluses were needed to sustain large-scale Buddhist institutions, where, in return for donations, monks and nuns were available to give religious instruction. (Source 5)

In Ancient India and Ancient China, [author and professor] Xinru Liu also proposes that Buddhist demand for the “seven jewels” (saptaratna) stimulated long-distance trade between northwestern South Asia, Central Asia and China. (Source 5)

Ritual values associated with the establishment of Buddhism may have augmented their economic worth. (Source 5)

Ritual values associated with the establishment of Buddhism may have augmented their economic worth. (Source 5)

Since Buddhist devotees sought these items as suitable donations, the nexus between long-distance trade and Buddhist monastic networks was strengthened. (Source 5)

Since Buddhist devotees sought these items as suitable donations, the nexus between long-distance trade and Buddhist monastic networks was strengthened. (Source 5)

The processes of expanding lucrative long-distance trade networks and the long-distance transmission of Buddhism were mutually reinforced. (Source 5)

The processes of expanding lucrative long-distance trade networks and the long-distance transmission of Buddhism were mutually reinforced. (Source 5)

Three major religious influences crossing the Bay of Bengal were Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, the spread of which coincided with the mastery of the Indian Ocean current and wind patterns. (Source 6)

Hinduism, which shared the greatest legacy of the Vedic religions, made the transition from an elite-based faith, with rituals controlled by a selected few, to a vast religion that merged cosmological speculation with local deities. (Source 6)

Hinduism, which shared the greatest legacy of the Vedic religions, made the transition from an elite-based faith, with rituals controlled by a selected few, to a vast religion that merged cosmological speculation with local deities. (Source 6)

Hinduism, which shared the greatest legacy of the Vedic religions, made the transition from an elite-based faith, with rituals controlled by a selected few, to a vast religion that merged cosmological speculation with local deities. (Source 6)

Mythology and an array of stories made this religion popular among the masses. (Source 6)

The arrival of new religious configurations in Southeast Asia also had tremendous implications for the area’s political development. (Source 6)

The possibility of linking local kings to reincarnations of Shiva in the Hindu cosmology or a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism provided them with greater political authority. (Source 6)