This book examines how the South Indian region of Karnataka influenced trade from the first century BCE to the fifteenth century CE. In the process, it analyzes the reasons for the emergence of a trade relationship between Karnataka's ports and trade centres with other Indian Ocean World trade centres, including in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea regions. Beginning with the study of the Indo-Roman trade, the book then examines the role of the state in enhancing the trade between Karnataka and other parts of the world. This volume considers such varied topics as the roles Jews and Arabs played in Karnataka, the trade in areca nut, and the relationship between the ports and the hinterland.

Nagendra Rao is a Professor in History at Goa University, India. He is the author of the books Brahmanas of South India, Craft Production and Trade in South Kanara (AD 1000-1763), Tradition, Production and Exchange: Karnataka, and East Meets West: The Portuguese in Goa, and editor of Globalization: Pre Modern India. He has also published research articles in nationally and internationally peer-reviewed journals such as Indian Historical Review, Studies in People’s History, War in History, History Compass, and International Journal of Regional and Local History.