Word Nerd: Globalization is an ancient thing

We sometimes talk about globalization as if it happened because of two decades of economic liberalization in India. In fact, it has been going on for thousands of years.

In the 4th century BCE (Before Common Era), some of what is now India was part of an empire ruled by a former pupil of the Greek philosopher Aristotle – yes, you guessed it – Alexander the Great.

Above: Coins of the Indo-Greek emperor Menander I were in use in Bharuch, Gujarat, in the 1st century (image used under CC BY-SA 3.0 license)

Around that time, southern India, which was ruled by the Chera, Chola and Pandyan dynasties, also traded extensively with the Roman empire and Southeast Asia. A Greek-language periplus, a kind of navigator’s log, written sometime in the 1st century CE, described many centers of trade in the Indian subcontinent, including Barygaza (Bharuch, Gujarat), Ozene (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh), and Muziris (a port near Kochi, Kerala).

Exports from the Indian subcontinent included precious stones, pearls, Chinese silk, pepper, and bay leaves (the Sanskrit tamalpatram became malabathron in Greek). Imports included gold, silver, wine (Italian was preferred, according to the periplus), fine cloth, copper, tin, and lead.

Above: Ancient Roman gold coins excavated in Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu. The one on the left is of Caligula, who ruled from 37 to 41 of the Common Era. The other two are of Nero, who ruled from 54 to 68 CE. (Photo by Uploadalt, used under CC BY-SA 3.0 license)

Trade continued and expanded over the centuries. After Europeans conquered the Americas in the 16th century, many species of plants and animals crossed over from Asia and Europe to the Americas, and vice versa. This “Columbian Exchange” is why India has potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, tuberoses (rajnigandha), papayas, custard apples, guavas, and pineapples, among other things. The humble chikoo, called sapota in Hindi, is actually the tzapotl of the Aztecs of Mexico.

Most American species were introduced in India by the Portuguese. Among them was that “quintessentially Indian” ingredient, the chilli, native to Mexico. Indians adapted the chilli quickly, because its hot taste was similar to pepper. But potatoes and tomatoes gradually became part of Indian cooking only after the British taught their cooks how to use them.

In the late 18th century, the potato was exotic enough to be a gift from a diplomat. Governor-general Warren Hastings received a basket of potatoes as a present, and considered it an occasion to invite other officials over to dinner to share it.

Above: The extremely hot bhoot-jolokia, a chilli variant from Assam and Manipur (photo by Asit K. Ghosh, used under CC BY-SA 3.0 license).

So if you’re planning a Southeast Asian vacation this summer, or even just a vada-pao snack this afternoon, remember that you’re continuing a historic process that is more than 2,000 years old!

By: Uma Asher

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