From AD 500-1000, the Indian Ocean emerged as a global commercial center, and by around 750-800 a sophisticated trade network had been established involving the movement of goods from Japan and China in the east, to southern Africa and Spain in the west.

Seth M.N. Priestman's research focuses on the late antique and medieval archaeology of the Middle East, Transcaucasia, and the Indian Ocean world. He has recently held post-doctoral research positions with the Department Of Asia at the British Museum and the School of History Classics and Archaeology at The University of Edinburgh. A study he undertook of the finds from the major early Islamic port of Siraf in southern Iran held by the British Museum laid the foundation for his PhD. Seth has worked on fieldwork, projects, and has published widely in the field of Middle Eastern archaeology and ceramics research.