greece, the final frontier? 147
Asia, but they might as well be Christian monasteries.^76 If they are
Buddhist complexes, there could be a direct link with India, for the
Periplus Maris Erythraei in the rst century indicates the Gulf as the des-
tination of Indian merchant ships from Barygaza^77 (i.e., Bharukaccha,
now Bharuch in Gujarat). This observation again directs our attention
to long-distance trade as a factor in the spread of Buddhism.
- The East-West Trade and Buddhism
Several overland trade routes and combined land-sea routes existed
between the Roman World and India, passing through Persia, the
Persian Gulf and Near-Eastern cities like Palmyra, Petra, Antioch and
Ephese. Northern India was mainly the transit area of the South-
Indian, and Central-Asian trade.^78 Gradually the sea routes became
more important, as Persia was avoided by the Romans during periods
of war with the Parthians and the Sassanians, who controlled these
routes.^79 In particular the monsoon routes across the Red Sea and the
Arabian Sea became immensely popular. Alexandria in Egypt became
the most important centre connecting these routes to the Mediterranean
World.
Textual, numismatic, and archaeological evidence testi es to the
presence of numerous traders from the Graeco-Roman world in India,
especially in the southern port-towns, where they established business
houses. There is hardly any evidence that these traders came under
the in uence of Indian religions, Buddhism or any other. A number
of Prkrit inscriptions from the rst and second centuries AD found
at different places in Maharashtra in South-western India^80 are often
regarded as bearing witness to the donations by Yavana (“Greek”) trad-
ers to Buddhist monasteries and stpas.^81 The Indian names of several
of these Yavanas have often been a cause for wonder, but have been
interpreted as showing the degree of Indianisation of these people.
One may, however, wonder whether these men really were Greeks
and traders. Samuel Clark Laeuchli pointed out that in Prkrit yona(ka)
(^76) On aidar, see Ball & Whitehouse 1976.
(^77) Periplus Maris Erythraei 36.
(^78) Periplus Maris Erythraei 38, 41, 47, 51, etc.
(^79) Cf. Wheeler 1951, pp. 346, 349.
(^80) E.g., Nsik, in Senart 1906, pp. 90–91, no. 18.
(^81) Cf. Karttunen 1997, pp. 297–298.