-
2300 BCE
Domestication of Cotton
The Indians would grow cotton in the Indus River valley between 2300 and 1760 BCE -
300 BCE
Malay Sailors
The Malay sailors began to ride the monsoons to their destinations. -
100 BCE
Malay Sailors
The Malay sailors were the first to develope a long distance trade in a southern spice. -
100 BCE
Malay Ships
The Malay sailors were very good engineers and they were wise. They used balanced lug sails which were square in shape so that the ship could pivot. This made it very easy for the sailors to sail into the wind instead of having to wait for the wind direction to change. -
100
Indian Textile Trade
The Indian textile trade started in the first century CE. By the second century CE, Africans were demanding the textiles both in the Mediterranean and East Africa. By the fifth century CE, textiles were being traded in Southeast Asia. The Indian textile trade continued until the eighteenth century CE. "According to a textile expert, 'India virtually clothed the world' by the mid-eighteenth century." -
350
Crystallize Sugar
The Indians discovered how to crystallize sugar. -
499
Number Zero
The most significant feature of the Indian system was the invention of the number zero. With the number zero, it helped the Indians solve more complicated quicker and more efficiently. The number zero helped the Indians invent more things that could help their traveling and make them more efficient sailors.
