The Romans and China
4/9/202659 min
How did Roman silver travel from Egypt to China across monsoon seas, pirate waters, and bustling ports?
Tristan Hughes is joined by legendary archaeologist Sir Barry Cunliffe for a dramatic journey through the Indian Ocean, where Roman glass, pepper, and silk linked two ancient superpowers. From Sri Lanka to the Malacca Strait, they reveal a dazzling world of traders, middlemen and maritime adventure.
More
Origins of the Silk Road
The Great Wall of China
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTristan Hughes· Host0:00
Ever wondered why the Romans were defeated in the Teutoburg Forest? What secrets lie buried in prehistoric Ireland? Or what made Alexander truly great? With a subscription to History Hit, you can explore our ancient past alongside the world's leading historians and archeologists. You'll also unlock hundreds of hours of original documentaries with a brand new release every single week, covering everything from the ancient world to World War II. Just visit historyhit.com/subscribe. Hello, I hope you're doing well. I'm recording this from my car because I've just finished doing an interview with an absolute legend, a legend in the field of archeology and, quite frankly, a British treasure today. He's none other than Barry Cunliffe, Sir Barry Cunliffe, who's been involved in archeological excavations since the 1950s. He's in his 80s now, but he's still going strong. He's still as lovely as ever and as brilliant as ever. I've been up at his house doing this interview all about his new book, which explores the maritime connections, the maritime trading world of ancient history in the Indian Ocean and beyond, the ships carried by the monsoons. We recreate in this episode a theoretical journey of Roman goods from Roman Egypt and the Red Sea all the way to China. This was so much fun. Barry is as brilliant as ever. Send love to Barry in the comments, okay?