An ancient global crossroads
The coastal region of modern-day Rakhine State in Myanmar was a collection of powerful city-states in the early centuries CE. Positioned on the Bay of Bengal, ancient kingdoms like Dhanyawadi and Waithali were ports in a sea-based trade network that connected the Roman Empire to Han Dynasty China. Archaeological evidence from sites along this coast shows the scale of this early global exchange.
Excavations have uncovered artifacts whose origins are thousands of kilometers away. Fragments of glass made in the Mediterranean have been found at sites like Aw Gyi, a port settlement active during the early first millennium CE. Chemical analysis confirms this is soda-natron glass, a type manufactured almost exclusively in the Roman Empire, particularly in Egypt. Alongside this Roman glass are beads made from carnelian and agate, stone materials likely imported from workshops in India. The finds from this period are not limited to Western goods; Han Chinese bronze mirrors have been discovered at contemporary trading ports in Southeast Asia, recording the flow of goods from the East as well.
The monsoon marketplace
This extensive trade network was possible because of a sophisticated understanding of the seasonal monsoon winds. Mariners mastered the wind patterns to sail across the vast Indian Ocean. The Arakan coast, where the Rathedaung sites are located, was a stopover point on this maritime route. Ships traveling from Indian ports such as Arikamedu would cross the Bay of Bengal, using the coastal cities of Myanmar as emporiums to trade, resupply, or wait for favorable winds before continuing their journey toward the Malay Peninsula and the South China Sea.
The exchange was not one-way. While these ports received finished goods like glass vessels and beads, they also were export hubs for local resources. The inland areas provided valuable raw materials for long-distance trade, including tropical timber, minerals, and aromatic resins. The ports were therefore complex economic centers, facilitating the movement of both local and international products. The sustained contact with Indian traders also led to significant cultural exchange, with early kingdoms in the region adopting Indian religious and political concepts.