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5000 BCE
Ancient Fishing Boats
A key technological advance is the first known fishing boat. A flat-bottomed boat that could be used with or without a sail. They were made from teak or mango wood, which is resistant to rot. -
1000 BCE
Sugar Cane
Sugar Cane comes from South East Asia. By 1000 BCE, Sugar Cane had enlightened many people. Sugar Cane was used for cooking and sweetening. -
1000 BCE
Bananas
Bananas had enlightened in South East Asia as well, by around 1000 BCE they had reached India and Africa. -
Period: 610 BCE to 595 BCE
Pharaoh Necho II
Pharaoh Necho II ruled Egypt from 610BC-595BC. He began building a canal linking the Nile River and the Red Sea. Necho II hired Phoenician sailors to explore the seas surrounding Africa.This journey gave the Egyptians an understanding of the geography of Africa. -
600 BCE
Silk
Silk cloth was made in China, this thread is spun by silk worms. The Silk Road connected the Mediterranean, Middle East, India, Central Asia, and China, began to rise with the Roman Empire (27 BCE) and the Han Dynasty (206 BCE). These empires were wealthy and encouraged merchants to travel and find goods like silk. -
Period: 600 BCE to 600 BCE
Trade Networks
Three major trade networks developed from 600 BCE and 600 CE. These networks include: The Silk Road, The Indian Ocean Trade, and The Saharan Trade. -
Period: 600 BCE to 300 BCE
Religion Spreads
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism spread across to Southeast Asia. -
500 BCE
Greek & Roman; Sailors/Traders
Greek and Roman Traders became involved in the Indian Ocean Trade after 500 BCE. Sent by Persian Ruler Darius I. They trained gold, olive oil and wine. -
500 BCE
Hanno
An admiral from the Phoenician city of Carthage, sailed around the western coast of Africa. -
336 BCE
Alexander the Great
Declared king of Macedonia in 336 BCE. Alexander the Great was a military commander and led the largest army ever to leave Greece (48,500 people). It took him eleven years to defeat the Persian empire (550-330 BCE). -
332 BCE
Alexandria
Alexandria was founded around 332 BCE by Alexander the Great and remained the capital of Egypt for nearly a millennium. -
Period: 326 BCE to 325 BCE
Nearchus
Captain of Alexander The Great's navy. He was ordered to build a naval fleet to take part of the army back to Babylonia. The journey began at the Indus River, and followed the coastline to the Strait of Hormuz and up the Persian Gulf to the Tigris River. -
Period: 300 BCE to 200 BCE
Land Trade
Land trade routes extended throughout the desert. -
Period: 206 BCE to 220 BCE
Cloves
Cloves are dried flower buds taken from the tropical evergreen clove tree. The Han dynasty in China describe how court officials kept cloves in their mouths to sweeten their breath while talking to the king. -
200 BCE
Egyptian Faience Bowl
This was a bright colored bowl that was used at funerals or for rituals. This bowl was made with blue/green glaze and was made around 3500 BCE. -
138 BCE
Zhang Qian
An explorer of the 'Silk Road' trade routes, helped open up China to many foreign lands and cultures. In 138 BCE he was sent by the emperor Wudi to make contact with the Yuezhi. -
100 BCE
Disease
Common diseases in Rome and China were Smallpox, Measles and Bubonic Plague. -
Period: 100 BCE to 200 BCE
Pearls
Produced by oysters, pearls were a popular jewelry style in the Roman Empire. An ideal trade good because they took up little room on ships or caravans. -
Period: 64 BCE to 23 BCE
Strabo The Geographer
He was a Greek scholar who traveled to read the scholarship of others and was able to collect and compare many sources in order to get a picture of the best state of knowledge about the known world. -
825
Obelisk of Shalamaneser III
This is a black limestone pillar, or obelisk was built in Assyria as a public monument by King Shalmaneser III who ruled 858-824 BCE.