Trade and Commerce in Post-Mauryan and Gupta Periods

The Post-Mauryan and Gupta periods (200 BCE – 600 CE) represent the classical age of Indian commerce, marked by urban revival, flourishing trade routes, merchant guilds, and Indo-Roman as well as intra-Asian exchanges. These centuries witnessed the transition from state-controlled Mauryan trade to a merchant-driven, guild-based commercial system, integrating India into a vast Afro-Eurasian economy. Archaeological remains at Arikamedu, Puhar, and Barygaza illustrate India’s ancient role in global commerce and craftsmanship. Modern merchant associations and chambers of commerce mirror ancient Śreṇis in structure and ethics.

Trade and Commerce in the Post-Mauryan Period (200 BCE – 300 CE)

Political ....