Explain in points about trade and craft production in early historic cities?

Craft Production

Archaeologists have not been able to conduct extensive excavations at most of the sites of the early historic cities because people are still inhabiting these regions. But from some excavations that have taken place, we know the following points about the craft production:

• A wide range of artefacts have been recovered which include fine pottery bowls and dishes, with a glossy finish, known as Northern Black Polished Ware. These were probably used by rich people,
• Various other articles like ornaments, tools, weapons, vessels, figurines, made of a wide range of materials like gold, silver, copper, bronze, ivory, glass, shell and terracotta have also been discovered.
• Inscriptions discovered in number of cities mention about people who lived in towns like blacksmiths, weavers, carpenters, potters and goldsmiths. These inscriptions tell us that people were producing goods and articles made up of iron and gold.

Trade

• From the sixth century BCE, land and riverine routes extended in various directions which connected all the parts of India.
• Sea routes connected across the Arabian Sea to Central Asia, North Africa, West Asia and beyond. Sea routes also connected Southeast Asia and China through the Bay of Bengal.
• Spices, especially pepper, were in high demand in the Roman Empire, as were textiles and medicinal plants, and these were all transported across the Arabian Sea to the Mediterranean.
• Also, there were seafarers, whose ventures were risky but highly profitable. Successful merchants of south India, designated as masattuvan in Tamil and setthisand satthavahas in Prakrit, could become enormously rich(some times more richer than kings)
• A wide range of goods were carried from one place to another – salt, grain, cloth, metal ores, finished products, stone, timber, medicinal plants, spices, especially pepper, etc.