Trade developments and networks by way of Indian Ocean

Classical Era Indian Ocean Trade Timeline

Period: 1900 BCE to 300 BCE

The Classical Era started in 1900 BCE and ended in 300 BCE.

African Slave Trade

1850 BCE

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

Control over Trading Routes

1680 BCE

The British then joined in the trading process with their British East India Company, which challenged the Dutch East India Company for power over 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 interconnectedness, since the regions were previously isolated. The main effect was the connection between Europe and Asia and between the existing world and the Americas. These connections allowed for trade, exchanges of ideas, and the formation of colonies.

Portuguese enter Trade Route

1498 BCE

The Portuguese as well wanted to join in the Indian Ocean trade since the European demand for Asian luxury goods was high. Since Europe had nothing to trade, the Portuguese came in with force to the Indian Ocean trade as pirates rather than traders. Their use of a combination between bravado and cannons allowed them to seize port cities like Calicut on India's west coast, and Macau in southern China. The Portuguese began to rob and extort local producers and foreign merchant ships.

Vasco de Gama

1498 BCE

He was a Portuguese explorer involved in the trade. He rode in heavily armed caravels through the monsoon trade winds up from Africa to the west coast of India. They bombarded through defenses of local princes to take control of their share of the lucrative spice trade. Their expeditions only pushed further toward the point of origin of this valuable commodity, beginning to set up ports on the Spice Islands. With control of this source, they had a monopoly on the spice trade at the time.

Southeast Asia affects

1450 BCE

This trading process induced political change as ambitious rulers use well newly obtained wealth from commerce to build larger and more centrally governed states or cities. There was cultural change as local people were attracted to foreign religious ideas from Hindu, Buddhist, or Islamic sources.

China's goods in trading

1450 BCE

Their goods to be traded consisted of silks, porcelain, tea, salt, sugar, spices, and other expensive luxury goods.

Central Asia in Trading

1330 BCE

Rome obtained spices, fragrances, jewels, ivory, and sugar and in exchange sent European pictures and other luxury goods. Central Asia trafficked rice, cotton, woolen and silk fabrics to Eastern Europe who in return exported skins, furs, fur animals, bark for skin processing, cattle and other animals, as well as slaves.

Key Advantages

1150 BCE

The wind was one of the most key advantages during this time. Using the wind from the monsoons in the Indian Ocean for maritime trade was a blessing to sailing ships in order to reach overseas countries. Sailing straight out into the open waters during the late spring, ships were then swept up by the monsoon winds and set on a steady northeast course, arriving on India's west coast by mid-summer. With this development came the ability to reach new places with new goods, and increased trade.

Technology Advancements

1060 BCE

With the development of compasses and knowledge and planning of wind patterns gave travelers advantages to better sailing abilities and stronger confidence to survive longer routes. Larger sails, multiple masts, better rudders, and thicker hulls also all helped the ships gain more sailing power and increase their storage.

Diseases due to Indian Ocean Trade Route

910 BCE

With these new trade routes, it means people traveling outside of their homeland, which also means introductions to illnesses not known in a current world. During trade, people would spread communicable diseases by intermingling with other traders. They would come to a trade post for goods, and they contract diseases not native to them, and take it back to their land. Because they're not native to these diseases, no one had the chance to build immunities, therefore they spread like a wildfire.

Indian Ocean Trade vs. Silk Road: Relationship

650 BCE

Indian Ocean trade networks used ships and therefore could ship more cargo, sold less expensive, necessity products, traded with more locations, more efficient travel times. The silk road was on land, and crossed water ways at the Mediterranean Sea, and used camels with carriages as their transportation which was not exactly idea. There were different advantages and disadvantages to these locations and routes.

Transportation

600 BCE

Transportation in the Indian Ocean consisted of four different ways: dhows, sailboats, dry cargo carriers, and tankers. For more than two thousand years the small, lateen-rigged sailing vessels called dhows were most popular.

Religion

500 BCE

With this trade route of course comes introductions to all new things, goods and services, diseases, new cultures, and also new religions. Jainism Hinduism, and Buddhism spread from India to Southeast Asia, who were brought by merchants rather than by missionaries. Christianity followed the trade routes and expanded east throughout Mesopotamia, Iran, and as far as India. Hinduism and Buddhism spread along the Silk Roads. Arabs were brought into the network, and Swahili people converted to Islam.

Who Consists of the Indian Ocean Network

300 BCE

China, India, Southeast Asia, Islamic people, and East Africa were all apart. Monsoon trade network was also a part of the Indian Ocean network.