This analysis of trade in the Western Indian Ocean between the Sasanian period in the 4th century AD and the present day is based on a classification of ceramics from Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. Many thousands of fragments have been unearthed during ten years of excavations and these are divided into a catalogue of over 100 types. This followed by a discussion of the origin of the vessels, both locally and further afield, and of chronological patterns in their manufacture and distribution. Sections also discuss glass vesssels and pottery from India and the Far East.