Indian Ocean Trade

Africa Slave Trade

1850 BCE

Arab traders began to settle among the Africans of the coast, resulting in the emergence of a people and culture known as Swahili. In the second half of the 18th century the slave trade expanded and became more organized. There was a huge demand for ivory and slaves were used as porters to carry it.

Control Changes

1680 BCE

The British joined with their British East India Company, which challenged the Dutch East India Company for control of the trade routes. Goods moved increasingly to Europe, while the former Asian trading empires grew poorer and collapsed. The two thousand year old Indian Ocean trade network was crippled if not completely destroyed.

Interconnections

1500 BCE

Discoveries in Europe allowed for further travel which caused a major increase in global interconnections since the regions were previously isolated

The Portuguese

1498 BCE

The Portuguese entered the Indian Ocean trade as pirates rather than traders. They would rob and extort local producers and foreign merchant ships alike.

China Trade

1453 BCE

China's traded goods consisted of silks, porcelain, tea, salt, sugar, and spices.

Central Asia

1328 BCE

Eastern Europe imported rice, cotton, woolen and silk fabrics from Central Asia and exported considerable volumes of skins, furs, fur animals, bark for skin processing, cattle and slaves to Khoresm.

Africa Trade

1324 BCE

The African Trade brought in new goods that consisted of ivory, gold, and iron

Sugar Cane

1000 BCE

By 1000 BCE sugar cane reached India where it was cultivated on a large scale and was a key good in trading during this time.

Developments

960 BCE

The development of the compass and plotted wind patterns gave travelers better sailing abilities and confidence to make longer routes. Multiple masts, larger sails, better rudders, and thicker hulls all gave the ships more sailing power and increased storage.

Disease

900 BCE

Disease was a constant problem with trade because it would get spread from place to place via the supplies that were shipped from that place. Since these diseases would travel to places where they were unknown people wouldn't know how to treat them and would have no immunity to them. This caused death and disease to spread.

Monsoon Winds

800 BCE

By sailing into the open waters of the Arabian Sea during the late spring ships were whisked out by the monsoon winds landing them in India's west coast by mid-summer. This development lead to the ability to reach new places with new goods and increased trade

Transportation

650 BCE

Using ships vs. road transportation meant they could ship more cargo, they could sell for less, get the product there quicker and they could trade with more locations

Trade Network

600 BCE

India, China, Islam, Africa, and Southeast Asia were all part of the Indian Ocean trade network.

Religion

500 BCE

Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism spread from India to Southeast Asia through merchants

Alexander the Great

336 BCE

When Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire and extended Greek control over lands in western Asia, Egypt, Central Asia, and the Indus Valley he formed the city of Alexandria in Egypt. This city would become a major center of art and trade.

Alexandria

Period: 332 BCE to 220 BCE

When Egypt became part of the Roman Empire during the first century CE, Alexandria's ideal location along both the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River made it the center of trade routes connecting Rome to inner Africa, the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia.