-
3000 BCE
Movement
Travelers in small canoes and rafts moved between towns and trading posts along the coastline of Africa to Indian subcontinent. -
2000 BCE
Millet and Sorghum
Millet and sorghum were introduced to trade. They were imported the East African coast to today's Pakistan -
1000 BCE
Bananas and sugar cane
Sugar canes entered India, bananas entered trade in 1000 BCE -
550 BCE
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great founded Alexandria. Alexandria eventually became one of the centers for trade. -
332 BCE
Alexandria
Alexandria became the central trade and art market. -
271 BCE
Ashoka
Ashoka under rule, created trade between India and Central and Southeast Asia. -
206 BCE
Cloves
Earliest recorded use of cloves (outside of origin) -
138 BCE
Zhang Qian
Zhang Qian established contact between China and India and Central Asia. -
64 BCE
Strabo the geographer born
Strabo the geographer was essential in how we look at the trading world when it was in its prime. He traveled all over the world, documenting and sourcing. -
27 BCE
Silk
Silk flourished with the rise of the Roman Empire -
1347
Spread of the plague
The Bubonic Plague started in China. Through trade, the disease spread around the world. -
1498
Portugal
Portuguese sailors reached the east coast of Africa. They entered the Indian Ocean trade as sailors, robbing and extorting local producers. -
1501
Connection
Indian Ocean connected with the emerging Atlantic and Pacific European trade markets -
1509
Takeover
Portugal defeats the Muslims, taking over the trade in the Indian Ocean. -
Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company entered trade and monopolized trade of spices. -
British East India Company
The British joined the British East India Company and it led to the European powers trying to colonize parts of Asia. Resulting in the dissolvement of reciprocal trading, essentially ending trade in the Indian Ocean.