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sula of India, as well as spices from the Molucca islands, and purchased in the peninsula by the traders from Egypt and Persia. Besides the aromatics brought from India, considerable quantities were likewise brought from Arabia.

The exports to India consisted chiefly of light woollen cloths for the use of the inhabitants in the northern provinces; brass and copper vessels; tin brought by the Romans from England; lead, coral, glass vessels, oil of olives, storax, partly the produce of Italy, but chiefly of the Grecian islands; some wrought silver, but principally bullion. Pliny, states the balance against Rome of trade with the East at a hundred millions of Sesterces, or 1,041,666 pounds sterling.*

It appears that, before the expedition of Alexander, the productions of India were brought into the Persian dominions by land, and continued to be conveyed thither under Seleucus Nicator and his successors.

* See Pliny, lib. xii. c. 41.

About 250 years before Christ, the Parthians, under their leader Arsaces, having made themselves masters of Persia, formed with their ancient possessions a power that often successfully disputed that of the Romans.* The Arsacidæ, or race of Arsaces, continued to reign over Persia 477 years, when in the year 227 of our æra, the reigning prince, named Artaban, was assassinated and the Parthians expelled, by a Persian who afterwards took the name of Ardshir or Artaxerces, whose dynasty, named Sassanidæ, continued to reign over Persia until it was conquered by Omar. second Calif from Mohammed, in the year of Christ 632.

Besides the productions of India, which

*The Parthians before their conquests, possessed only the hilly tract of country bordering on Aria. They afterwards extended themselves W. and N. W. towards the Caspian. Their capital, which is said by Ptolemy, to lie in the middle of their dominions, was named Hecatompylos. Under Darius Hystaspes their country was included in the 16th Satrapy or Viceroyship of his empire.

from a very remote period were brought into Persia by land, it appears that after the expulsion of the Parthians a commerce between the two countries was opened by sea. The commodities brought from India into the Persian Gulf, were, by means of the Euphrates and Tigris, and from these by caravans, distributed through every part of the Persian Empire. Though transporting them to Persia by sea, must have abridged the time, and lessened the expense of the mode formerly in use, it appears, nevertheless, that the practice of carrying goods by land, was still continued, though probably in a less degree than before the intercourse by sea was opened. The productions of India and China were now brought into Europe from Persia as well as Egypt. Besides those of China which were purchased in India, and brought from thence into the Persian and Arabian Gulfs by sea, some, and especially raw and wrought silks, were brought directly from China into Persia by land: the caravans setting out from Bokhara, situated on

the river Politemus, and passing by the city now named Samarcand,* also situated on that river, proceeded to the frontiers of China, and again returned by the same route. The Indian and Chinese commodities that were destined for Europe, were transported to the borders of the Caspian, embarked there, and from the opposite shore carried to ports on the Euxine; where being again embarked, they passed through the Bosphorus to Constantinople and other ports in the Levant. In less remote times goods brought from India by sea, were also landed at Bassora, from thence conveyed to Aleppo, and afterwards to Scanderoon and Tripoli.

But the inland commerce between India

* Samarcand, the Maraganda of Strabo and Pliny.The Politemus or Sogda, which flows by it and Bokhara, discharges itself into the Oxus or Gihon beyond Biband in N. Lat. 37° 45′.

At Bokhara there was a rich silver mine; another at a place named Aderbigian; and another at Shiraz; the two former we believe still continue to be wrought, but the latter is said to be at present neglected, the quantity procured being unequal to the charge of working it.

and China, and the dominions of the Greek Emperors, was frequently interrupted, and constantly exposed to the arbitrary exactions of the Persian government. The

luxury which prevailed in the Byzantine empire, exceeded, if possible, that mentioned to have been practised at Rome; and, at both places, to have been deprived of what served to gratify vanity, or sensual appetite, would have been considered as a misfortune.

Persia in 531.

Justinian ascended the throne of Constantinople in the year of Christ 527, and Khosroes, surnamed the Great, of the Sassanide race, that of Justinian found the empire engaged in war with the Persians, from whom in 532 he obtained peace on condition of paying a tribute to Khosroes, and putting him in possession of the passes of Caucasus.

A

second war broke out between them in 540, and was continued, with the intervention of some short truces, for about twenty years, during which time the commerce through Persia to Constantinople was almost entire

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