Gold
Table of Contents
What is much less well-known than the “Indian housewives hold x% of the world’s gold” factoid is that India is not itself blessed with many gold deposits (or any natural resources ftm)
All of it comes from running an enormous trade surplus with Rome & Suvarṇabhūmī in antiquity.
1. follow-up
No gold nor silver, yet we built enormous temples of gold. No copper or zinc yet the undisputed leaders in ancient metallurgy. No good horses yet ruled Silk Road trade. Not much land either, yet the largest population. Granted an extremely disease-conducive environment, we invented medicine.
All we were blessed with were great rivers and human talent.