Indian Ocean Classical Period

  • 3000 BCE

    Discovery of Monsoon Wind Pattern

  • 3000 BCE

    Indian and Arab Ships Sailing

    Indian and Arab ships sail from the Southern Areabia to the western coast of India and back. During this time in the eastern ocean Austronesian mariners sailed towards the west settling in Madagascar.
  • 3000 BCE

    Proof of people living in Madagascar

    Historians found evidence like bananas, yams, coconuts, and foundations of homes to confirm that the sailors settled here.
  • 1000 BCE

    Travel Declines

    Historians believe that long-distance travel starts to slow down from Egypt and Mesopotamia.
  • 1000 BCE

    Silk Road

    Long-distance trade routes such as the Silk Road set the stage for trading between the East and the West
  • 1000 BCE

    Trade impacts other areas

    The navigation arts developed new ways for mathematics,geography, and astronomy.
  • 1000 BCE

    Wooden Boats

    The matting sails grew larger in order to carry heavier cargo.
  • 1000 BCE

    Most people lived on land

    However, the trade route brought in new developments and income for the communities.
  • 600 BCE

    Missionaries

    Pilgrams and Missionaries travel sharing about religions and to discover new ones
  • 600 BCE

    Rise of Christianity and Judaism

    People migrated to colonies like Ethiopia, Arabia, and India to share these religions
  • Period: 600 BCE to 300 BCE

    Spread of Religions

    The spread of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism spread across the Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia
  • Period: 500 BCE to 500

    500 BCE

    Greek and Roman sailors start to enter the Indian Ocean.
  • 326 BCE

    Alexender the Great

    He sent Nearchus from the Indus to the Arabian Golf and other Greeks sailed to India.
  • 326 BCE

    The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea

    Gives information about the East Coast of Africa and India
  • 323 BCE

    Influence of Language

    Sacred text according to religion impacted language and scripts.
  • 323 BCE

    Goods found

    Many of these goods were found along the Indian coast
  • 323

    Goods found in the Ocean

    Goods like coins, cloth, ceramics, pottery, glass, beads, incense, rare woods, pearls, spices, and coral were traded among nations.
  • 323

    Crops being Traded

    Sugar, cane, cotton, sesame, and rice were being traded over the ocean.
  • 326

    Trading Goods

    China and Southeast Asia start to trade goods. Goods like silver, cooper, and gold.
  • Period: 1000 to 300

    1000 BCE

    Discovery of Travel