European Voyages in the Indian Ocean and Caspian Sea (article)

European Voyages in the Indian Ocean and Caspian Sea (12th – 15th Centuries)
By Jean Richard, for Iran (1968)

Lord, is this article in rough shape. I read it during one of the moment where I gave in to my base urges: I dragged my ridiculously comfortable second-hand recliner in front of my woodstove, poured myself a glass of wine, and did my reading curled up like a cat in front of the fire. A spark burned a hole through the first three pages of the article, and there are enthusiastic wine stains on most of the pages too. Sorry, Jean Richard.

Most of the research I did over the summer was conducted in my tent, which was pitched at the edge of a cliff overlooking Fitzhugh and Hakai Pass, or on thumping, cacophonous boat rides between Bella Bella and far-flung coastal wilderness gems like Koeye and Goose Island. My copy of the Metrical Version of the Travels spent a brief moment in the sea (I caught it before it sank over the side of the boat) and some of my books still carry a lingering wisp of driftwood firesmoke, splashes of single malt, and the fresh scent of big wilderness.

It’s okay. In a way, it’s like field research. Parts of my thesis will be written while I am in transit, a road- (or ocean-) weary traveler reflecting (with some fondness for embellishment) on matters of dubious import and relevance.

Anyway, on to the European Voyages. This article provides a brief catalogue and discussion of the European presence in the Indian Ocean and Caspian Sea during the period mentioned in the title. It also makes interesting notes on European use of indigenous trade routes in the area.

Of momentary interest to my research is Richard’s thought on William of Rubruck’s contributions to geography and cartography: Rubruck is the first to note that the Caspian Sea is not, in fact, a gulf leading to the “Oceanic Sea” but a sea itself. Also, Richard makes some brief remarks about the center of the pepper trade on the Malabar coast, “a place where there had lived a rich and influential Christian community since the sixth century” (47).

It’s official: my completely useless preamble is significantly longer than my reflections on the article I’m meant to be discussing. I should probably send a fruit basket or a sorry bundle of posies to my unwitting committee. I’m fun to talk to, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the first draft on my thesis is primarily comprised of an enthusiastic attempt to phonetically transcribe the amazing sounds the ravens make on my roof to wake me up every morning.