Indian Ocean Trade

Capitol

1007 BCE

Jerusalem becomes Capitol of Israel

Sugar & Bananas

1000 BCE

Sugar is discovered and is brought to India and other parts of Southeast Asia in this year. Bananas make their way from Indonesia to Africa in this year.

Nubia

712 BCE

The Nubian Kingdom dominates Egypt from 712 - 660

Phoenicians

600 BCE

The Phoenicians mastered the ways of the sea early on in history and were probably the first to have large sea trading routes.

Buddha

563 BCE

Siddhartha Gautama is born in India

Confucian

551 BCE

Confucius is born in China

Darius

551 BCE

King Darius rules Persia

Exploration

465 BCE

Hanno of Carthage Explores West African Coast

Alexander

334 BCE

Alexander the Great conquers West Asia and begins the Hellenistic Period.

Saddle

300 BCE

The Camel Saddle was invented by Arabians

The Pharaoh's Port

275 BCE

King Ptolemy II of Egypt founded Berenike as his Red Sea trading port in order to acquire African goods from farther south.

Cloves

206 BCE

The Spice Cloves from Indonesia makes its way into the European side of the Roman Empire

The Chinese Trade Master

138 BCE

In this year the emperor of China sent Zhang Qian to open up trade with Persia and India.

Pearls

100 BCE

Pearls become a Roman favorite for jewelry

The city of Arikamedu

100 BCE

Founded in India about 100 years prior, this trade city at this time was a major hub for Roam Merchants seeking Eastern goods and wares.

Caesar

31 BCE

Caesar Augustus establishes the long and strong rule of the Roman Emperor

Kushan Gold Coins

5 BCE

The Golden coins of this era begin to show influences from many differing cultures in how they are made and what kind of symbols and wording is imprinted on them.

Merchant Crossing

4 BCE

By 4 BC merchants would cross the Isthmus of Kra to save on travel costs and avoid more sea dangers which occurred when sailing around the Mala peninsula

Coins of Metal

4 BCE

Metal coins were in wide use in India under the Mauryan Dynasty. They assisted greatly with trade negotiations.

Christ

2 BCE

Birth of Christ

Expansion in Trade

1 BCE

By 1 BC the Roman, Parthian, Kushan, Xiongnu, and Han Empires were all doing massive amounts of trade with one another on land and sea.

Major Trade Port: Muziris

1 BCE

Muziris became a major trading port by this year between Roman merchants and Southeast Asian merchants.

Roman Coins in India

1 BCE

Gold coins with Caesar Augustus's image begin to be used regularly for trade at this point.

Mastery of Monsoons

1 BCE

By this time period Indian sea merchants begin to master sailing in the Indian Ocean.

Grains & Dates

2

The grains of Millet and Teff begin to be used as a staple crop in India; they originally come from Africa. Dates begin at this time to be widely grown and eaten in Somalia; they originate from Arabia.

Palmyra Trading Center

3

Palmyra in the middle of the modern day border area of Syria and Iraq was perfectly situated to manage the great trading routes of the day and by 3 AD were a very wealthy and important trading headquarters as they sat on both the Silk road overland pass but also the Incense Road.

Indigo

7

Indigo from India is found at this time in both China and Rome as it has become a popular trade item used for dyes and pigment purposes.

The Silk Road

27

With the Rise of the Roman Empire by 27 BC the Han Empire in the East is able to establish regular trade routes with Western traders across China and Persia.

The Cross

33

Jesus Christ dies on the Cross giving himself freely as the final sacrificial lamb

Going Strong

70

Trade was still going strong between Egypt, Rome, India, Africa, and Arabia at this time. At this point in history there were many Red Sea ports, African coastal ports, and Arabian ports at this time doing all manner of trade and business.