Rome and the Indian Ocean
Roman merchants, Red Sea harbours and the monsoon winds that tied them to India.
Coming soonAntiquity, beyond the Mediterranean.
Essays, walks and stories about the ancient world as seen from Gujarat, the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
- Journal
- Opening soon
- Walks
- In planning
- Based in
- London
- Berenike
- Adulis
- Aksum
- Barygaza
- Muziris
- Rhapta
- Socotra
All named in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a first-century Greek guide for merchants sailing the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The classical world was never only Greece and Rome.
Roman coins turned up in southern India. Greek was written in Aksum. Ancient stories were retold in every language they met. The Other Classics follows those roads, in essays first and on foot later.
Four routes to start with
Each one will grow into a series of essays. Walks follow.
Aksum and the Horn of Africa
An African kingdom with its own gold coins, Greek inscriptions and ports on the sea to India.
Coming soonGujarat, from Lothal to Barygaza
Harappan Lothal, and later the port the Greeks and Romans called Barygaza.
Coming soonAfterlives
How later cultures borrowed, rewrote and argued with the ancient world.
Coming soonJournal
New essays appear here as they are published.
Coming soon
The first essays are being written.
Join the list and we will email you when one goes up.
Walks and journeys
Guided walks and, later, longer trips that follow these routes on the ground. Nothing is scheduled yet.
Written by Juned Malek
Born in Gujarat, Juned spent a few childhood years in Malawi before growing up in East London, so the Indian Ocean has always sat close to home. He studied Classics at King's College London, including an MA in the Classical World and its Reception.
The journal comes first. Walks and talks follow.
Juned Malek
Write to us
hello@theotherclassics.comQuestions, corrections, walk ideas and sources worth reading are all welcome.