Hist 320 Week 2 Timeline

Sugar Cane

1000 BCE

Sugar cane originated in Southeast Asia. In 1000 B.C. sugar cane had made its way to India where it was grown on a much larger scale. Sugar was known to be a very productive crop and was seen as a luxury to many

Bananas

1000 BCE

The good, banana, is believed to have reached the continent of Africa around 1000 B.C. Throughout the Classical period bananas expanded as both a crop and as a food into China. Bananas may have also spread into areas of the Middle East.

Pharaoh Necho II

610 BCE

Ruled Egypt from 610 B.C.- 595 B.C. He is well known for two important undertakings. The first was that he began to build a canal that would connect the Nile River and Red Sea. This project was later abandoned due to the fact that it gave the Babylonians easy access to attack Egypt; at the time the two were at war. In addition, Pharaoh Necho II hired Phoenician sailors to explore the waters surrounding Africa. This allowed the Egyptians to understand the geography of Africa.

Phoenicians

600 BCE

Throughout the first millennium B.C., the Phoenicians controlled trade and travel. They inhabited areas along the coast, such as southern Syria and Lebanon. As early as 600 B.C. Phoenician merchants circumnavigated Africa and sailed to Britain in search of the good known as tin. They are known for creating various trading colonies such as Carthage.

Cinnamon and Cassia

500 BCE

Both Cinnamon and Cassia are spices made from the bark of different trees. It originated in the Gulf of Aden as a result of monsoon winds around 500 B.C. They arrived in the Mediterranean by Red Sea routes and by overland caravan routes.

Camel Saddle

500 BCE

The camel saddle is believed to have been developed between 500 B.C. and 100 B.C. in Northern Arabia. It allowed people to ride and carry goods over long distances on dromedaries, also known as one-humped camels. This camel was common throughout Southwest Asia and Northern Africa.

Isthmus of Kra

400 BCE

A very narrow piece of land that separates the Chinese Sea from the Indian Ocean. During the fourth century B.C., Indian traders made it to Southeast Asia by traveling the Isthmus of Kra as opposed to taking a longer route around the Malay Peninsula. During the first century C.E. traded goods were moved easier by land across the Indian Ocean as a result of the Isthmus of Kra. This piece of land helped to make transporting goods much easier for the people of this period.

Alexander the Great

336 BCE

Named King of the ancient Greek state known as Macedonia in 336 B.C. He is known for defeating the Persian Empire and for expanding the Greek control over areas in west Asia, Egypt, Central Asia, and the Indus Valley. In addition, he was the founder of Alexandria, a city in Egypt that was a major center for both art and trade. It was his very conquests that helped to lay the basis for interaction and cultural exchanges for many years.

Alexandra

332 BCE

The city and capitol of Egypt founded by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. Alexandria was located along the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River. Because of its location it was a core of international trade. It connected Rome to inner Africa, deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia. This city was greatly impacted by both Greek and Roman cultures.

Indika

302 BCE

Indika was a text written in 302 B.C. by Magesthenes, who was a Greek historian. This text describes India's history, social structure, and geography during the time that it was ruled by Mauryan Empire from 323 B.C to 185 B.C. While the text did describe the government, trade, art, landscapes, nature, and religion, it also included other ideas and myths that had an impact on how the Europeans viewed India for many centuries.

Sri Lanka

300 BCE

Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka, an island off the coast of India, during the third century B.C. Sri Lanka was a hub of the Indian Ocean trade networks. Additionally, as the spread of Indian religious and cultural influences moved to the Southeast Asia, trade increased.This island is known for its cinnamon, which was a popular traded good during the Classical Period.

Berenike

275 BCE

This Egyptian port city was founded in 275 B.C by an Egyptian King known as Ptolemy II. It is located on the Red Sea and had a large influence on international trade. It was used for importing elephants from Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. This city traded other goods with India such as cloth, pottery, beads, wood, and bamboo.

Ashoka

271 BCE

Ashoka was a prominent Indian emperor from 271 B.C. to 232 B.C. He converted to Buddhism and made it his goal to spread the religion. During his time as ruler, he was responsible for India trading with other cultures in West Asia and South east Asia

Silk

206 BCE

The good, silk, was first developed in China. It was one of the many goods exchanged along the "Silk Road" trade route. It was used not only for trade, but as a from of money as well. It was a highly valued good internationally. It is dated as the year 206 B.C. because it is the year that the Han Dynasty began to rise and that date is correlated to when the "Silk Road" and trade of silk began to grow.

Zhang Qian

106 BCE

Known as an explorer and early pioneer of the trade routes known as the "Silk Road." These "Silk Road" routes are known for the trade and interactions that took place along them. Zhang Qian helped introduce China to new lands and cultures.

Pepper

100 BCE

A luxury good that was used for cooking, medicine, and even as a form of money. Pepper was an essential part of the spice trade which was prominent from the first century B.C.E. to first century C.E. It was during this time period that the merchants and seamen began to understand the monsoon wind patterns of the Indian Ocean.

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

70

This was a trader's handbook that was written in Greek. It was written by an Egyptian merchant who lived in the city of Alexandria. This detailed document described the trade between Roman Egypt and India. It recorded all of the ports along the Red Sea, African Coast, and Arabian Peninsula. This document also included descriptions of the various people and the items that were traded. This document helped to describe the Indian Ocean trading system during the first century C.E.

Natural History

77

Natural History is an encyclopedia that was written by Pliny the Elder around 77 C.E. Pliny the Elder was a Roman author. This encyclopedia offers evidence of the trades among the Roman Empire and the Arabian Peninsula. This text is one of the most detailed in Roman history. It was used throughout history as a guide until the time period of the Middle Ages.

Kushan Gold Coin

150

This coin is from the Kushan Empire. This Empire, during the second century B.C. until the fifth century C.E., had power over parts of India and Bactria in Central Asia. The Kushan Empire was located along the "Silk Road" and Indian Ocean, and as a result of this they had access to the ports of the Arabian Peninsula. This coin is believed to be from 150 C.E. to 191 C.E. It is quite significant because it illustrates how much of an impact trade had in integrating religious and cultural ideas.

Kaveripattinam

500

This town was believed to have been destroyed by a tsunami in 500 C.E. However, during the classical period, this was a major port city of the Chola Kings of the State of Tamil. This city was located at the mouth of the Kasveri river directly next to the Bay of Bengal Coast. It had two different districts. One with shipyards and warehouses and the other with the wealthy citizens. This city was known for its luxurious goods that were traded here such as pearls, coral, and gold.