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Period: 8000 BCE to 5000 BCE
Bananas (Goods)
"Madagascar might point to banana cultivation in Africa after that time. During the classical era, bananas spread as a crop and a food into China, and may have been known in parts of the Middle East." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
5000 BCE
Ancient Fishing Boats (Technological Advances)
"They were made from teak or mango wood, which is resistant to rot. These were the oldest fishing craft, or were used for lighting (unloading boats anchored offshore). " (Indian Ocean in World History) -
Period: 1500 BCE to 322 BCE
Phoenician Ships (Technological Advances)
"Phoenician cargo boats were called gauloi, or 'round,' ships because of their rounded hulls (the body of a boat). They were typically between 65 and 100 feet long and about 20 feet wide, with a lot of space to store trade goods. " (Indian Ocean in World History) -
1000 BCE
Sugar Cane (Good)
"By the end of the Classical Era, sugar was known in Persia as a wonderful luxury for cooking and sweetening. During the next few centuries, sugar would spread widely with trade, conquest and migration." (Indian Ocean In World History) -
1000 BCE
Jar Burials (Technological Advances)
"Instead of placing the dead in graves dug in the ground, the bodies were placed in very large, decorated ceramic jars in the shape of globes. Grave goods such as carved beads, shell jewelry and other items were placed in the jar with the body. Some show traces of silk or other fine clothing." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
900 BCE
Bubonic Plague (Secondary affects of trade)
Due to people traveling to and from their regions in order to trade, they were contracting diseases from other regions and bringing them back to their own. Due to these diseases not being native to their homelands, their bodies were not immune to them, which made these diseases deadly. -
Period: 610 BCE to 595 BCE
Pharaoh Necho II (Significant Person)
"Began building a canal linking the Nile River and the Red Sea, called the Arabian Gulf by Herodotus. He eventually abandoned the project after realizing that it gave the Babylonians, who at the time were at war with Egypt, easy access for attacking Egyptian territory. The canal could become choked with sand after it was built and second, there was a fear that the fresh water of the Nile would become salty and ruin Egypt's agriculture and population." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
Period: 601 BCE to 700 BCE
Indigo Dye (Goods)
" Indigo was first cultivated for dye in India, and supplied other societies with cakes of the dyestuff through long-distance trade. " (Indian Ocean In World History) -
600 BCE
Barygaza (Popular Ports)
"Barygaza was a port on the west coast of India near the mouth of the Narmuda River. It was difficult for ships to reach the port because of dangerous shoals, or places where the ships could run aground, so their captains had to be led by local boats through the channels." "Merchants brought goods to Barygaza for export, such as semiprecious gems, textiles, medicinal and aromatic herbs. Barygaza imported wine, metals, gems, glass, and silver coins."(Indian Ocean in World History) -
Period: 563 BCE to 483 BCE
Religion (Secondary affects of trade)
"Another major export item along the classical Indian Ocean trade routes was religious thought. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism spread from India to Southeast Asia, brought by merchants rather than by missionaries." (Thoughtco) -
Period: 528 BCE to 468 BCE
Scylax of Caryanda (Significant People)
"He sailed along the shore toward the west, followed it to the mouth, and then sailed along the shore westwards. Scylax reached Harmozeia in the Arabian Gulf near the Straits of Hormuz, and then crossed over to Oman, near Maka, and sailed along the southern shore of the Arabian Peninsula. He stopped at the Yemeni ports, and then sailed up the Red Sea to the Suez. He was famous for this voyage, and brought news of these regions that encouraged trade expeditions." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
500 BCE
Navigation by Polaris (Events that effected trade relationships)
"Phoenicians were the first to use Polaris as a navigational tool. While traveling across vast oceans where no land was visible, Phoenician sailors stayed on the correct route by observing the location of Polaris, called the 'Phoenician Star' by ancient writers. Along with knowledge of winds and ocean currents, Polaris navigation allowed the Phoenicians to sail long distances and trade with many foreign cultures. " (Indian Ocean in World History) -
Period: 499 BCE to 479 BCE
Persian War (events that effected trade relationships)
"The Persian Wars refers to the conflict between Greece and Persia in the 5th century BCE which involved two invasions by the latter in 490 and 480 BCE. Several of the most famous and significant battles in history were fought during the Wars, these were at Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea, all of which would become legendary. The Greeks were, ultimately, victorious and their civilization preserved." (Mark Cartwright, 2016) -
450 BCE
Phoenician Alphabet (Secondary affects of trade)
"The stone marker shown here, known as the Yehawmilk Stele, is an example of another Phoenician advancement: the alphabet. The stele, which dates from about 450 BCE, contains a 14-line inscription. The writing system developed by the Phoenicians was passed along to the Greeks, and is the basis of the alphabet used in most Western languages." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
Period: 400 BCE to 100 BCE
Muziris
"Muziris was an ancient port city in today's Indian state of Kerala. It was a famous trading market for Roman-Indian trade in southern India." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
336 BCE
Alexander the Great (Significant Person)
"Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire (550-330 BCE) and extended Greek control over lands in western Asia, Egypt, Central Asia, and the Indus Valley. He also founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt, which would become a major center of art and trade." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
332 BCE
Alexandria (Popular Ports)
"When Egypt became part of the Roman Empire during the first century CE, Alexandria's ideal location along both the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River made it the center of trade routes connecting Rome to inner Africa, the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia. Christianity arrived in Egypt during this period, and by the mid-second century CE Alexandria had also become a center of Christian scholarship." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
77 BCE
Natural History (Identifying Networks)
"This text is from the famous encyclopedia Natural History, written by Roman author and naturalist Pliny the Elder around 77 CE. It provides evidence of trade between the Roman Empire and the Arabian Peninsula, the native land of frankincense and myrrh-producing trees. While Pliny mentions spices like cardamom and cinnamon, he thinks it more important to first discuss frankincense and myrrh, both highly prized trade goods at the time." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
70 BCE
Periplus of the Erythean Sea (Identifying Networks)
"A trader's handbook written around 70 CE. Periplus, or "sailing around," was written in Greek by an Egyptian merchant from the city of Alexandria. The document gives a detailed account of trade between Roman Egypt and India, listing all the ports on the Red Sea, the African coast, and the Arabian Peninsula." (Indian Ocean in World History) -
Period: 64 BCE to 23 BCE
Sabaeans of Southern Arabia (Identifying Networks)
"Sabaei, he tells us, an extremely fertile country, participated in trade with its neighbors, which then traded the goods as far Syria and Mesopotamia (ancient region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern Iraq and Syria)." (Indian Ocean in World History)
