Finance, Forex and Investments

Which did the Romans trade with first - China or India?

I can't remember if the Romans found India through Egyptian sailors (who caught the seasonal winds to India) and then they found China through India, or if the Romans started trading with India because of its proximity to China, already a trading partner. I have no idea and so if any body even knows a little bid about this it would be very helpful.

Public Comments

1. You can't remember? LOL. :) That's because the Romans didn't trade directly with either China or India; they didn't even have real knowledge of the existence of those places. The furthest east the Roman Empire reached was the border of the Parthian Empire. India and China were on the other side of Parthia, and Romans did not have easy access, nor even did they seem to feel the need to go there. Alexander the Great had gone as far as modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, but Greek rule there did not last long, so knowledge of these lands was basically in the realm of the mythical to the Romans. This is not to say that Romans did not get access to Indian or possibly even Chinese goods (spices and silk). The Silk Road was an important trade corridor that linked all of Asia with the Mediterranean, through a series of non-Roman middle men. Goods from the east did reach Rome, although I don't think anyone has conclusively proven that Chinese goods reached there. I should also point out that there has long been a little debate about the possibility of a "lost" Roman legion making it all the way to China. The hypothesis is that Roman soldiers fighting against Parthia were captured, enslaved, and sold to people living further east until they eventually reached China. There is very little evidence of this happening, but remains a possibility. In any case, such Romans would never have made it back home to tell their stories!