From Mesopotamia was a vital link on Roman-Indian trade routes.
More than 60 years ago Sir Mortimer Wheeler proved that Roman pottery had made it all the way from Italy to India: the characteristic bright red of Samian ware, bearing the stamp of the Vibieni of Arezzo, showed up in his trenches at the ancient port of Arikamedu, on the southeastern coast near Pondicherry. Numerous other finds across India have since strengthened the connection, including many wine jars or amphorae.
A new study now suggests that many of these came from Mesopotamia, not the Mediterranean, and that the triangular trade between India, the Persian Gulf and the ports of Roman Egypt on the Red Sea was much more complex than hitherto thought. [continue]
The phrase I found most interesting was “Roman amphorae are found in a similar pattern, though rarely on the same sites”–I wonder why they haven’t been found on the same sites. I’m not a great believer in coincidence/happenstance. If they were shipped in the same shipments, that might explain it, to some degree. A buyer/middle man might have a preference for one or the other for any number of reasons.