Indian Ocean Trade

Height 800 – 1400 C.E.

Key Vocabulary: Zanj Arab name for the people of East Africa

Monsoons the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter

Entrepots cosmopolitan cities (often ports)

Trade diasporas (see definition later)

Geniza – Hebrew for depository of old papers. Jewish law requires that religious papers not be destroyed- secular and sacred manuscripts- gold mine for historians.

Ibn Battuta Muslim explorer

Zheng He Chinese explorer

Key Vocabulary (cont.)

Cowry shells (cowries) used as money along trade routes

Astrolabe an astronomical instrument for taking the altitude of the sun or stars and for the solution of other problems in astronomy and navigation, helps calculate latitude

Dhows sailing vessels used by Arabs on the east African, Arabian, and Indian coasts, generally lateen-rigged on two or three masts

Junks a seagoing ship with a traditional Chinese design and used primarily in Chinese waters, having square sails spread by battens, a high stern, and usually a flat bottom

Emporia/Emporium a place, town, or city of important commerce, esp. a principal center of trade

The General Idea:

Importance of Asia and Africa in the

world economic system

Usually trade between outer ends was

handled by Arab intermediaries but

occasionally people traveled the

distance

Zheng He and Ibn Battuta

Examples of the Impact Indian Ocean Trade Had on the World:

India becomes emporium – Indian ports very cosmopolitan

Siraf also becomes an emporium (located in the Persian Gulf)

Trade increased with establishment of Umayyad and Abassid dynasties in west and Tang and Song in the east- prosperity increased trade

Swahili city states culture that merged Arab and East African peoples

Arabic world sahil means coast…coastal trade culture with strong Bantu base Kilwa (Swahili coast’s main emporium)

Chinese role- naval expeditions 1405- 1433

Europeans arrive in Indian Ocean in 1497 and while Portuguese dominated access to Europe for Asia they did NOT wrest control from the Arabs for control of Indian Ocean trade.

Items Traded mostly luxury goods for elites- similar to trade

on Silk Routes

Ivory –better quality in Africa easier to carve

Slaves- Islamic law prohibits enslaving fellow

Muslims but they did capture and enslave non-

Muslims and trade them to India, China,

Persian Gulf (small trade compared to ivory

and gold)

Challenges

Distances of voyages

Dhows and other technologies

(expensive and difficult to develop)

Pirates

Monsoons

Being away from family

Technology As a Result of Indian Ocean Trade:

lateen (triangular sails)

compass

astrolabe

dhows

junks

Results CULTURAL DIFFUSION!!!!!!

Exchange of ideas including religion, people, goods, agricultural crops, currency including cowries and gemstones

Specialized goods in certain places; cotton textiles in India as well as carpet weaving, stone carving, leather tanning, steel for knives and swords, and sugar refining.

silk, porcelain and laquerware in China

SE Asia- spices

SW Asia horses, incense and dates

east Africa slaves, ivory and gold

Trade diasporas - trade communities of merchants… cross cultural brokers- helping and encouraging trade between host society and people of their own origin who moved along trade routes (since 3500 BCE) ex. of Zanzibar today

Trade Diaspora – Definition

an interrelated net of

commercial communities

forming a trade network

Advantages of trade diasporas

helped to deal with “familiar” people who

knew local laws, people, officials, bribes…

others who could carry home news,

letters, gifts for family

increased honest dealings –social prestige

at home

local rulers saw advantage of foreigners

having wealth instead of local elites

Examples of Trade Diasporas (Islam)

rise of Islam – Muslims, Arabs and Persians began to

dominate this network 750 – 1500…cultural change via

traders not conquerors. Muslim trading diasporas throughout

Indian Ocean world- trade, travel and communication

encouraged within Islam, prosperity from commerce

success of Muslim merchants along Indian coasts encouraged

converts

expansion into SE Asia with decline of Mongols (increased

instability on land routes)

Chinese Ming rulers had “anti-barbarian sentiments” so

restricted their trade mostly to SE Asia where Muslim traders

picked goods up and took them west

Case Studies: Kilwa (Other city states also on east Africa coast- Mombassa, Sofala, Malindi)

initially fishing village with limited trade 800 –1000

imported pottery from within Africa- increased agriculture due to increased population

trade brought wealth

location is everything—Kilwa was the most southerly point where ships could land and still return the same season taking the reverse monsoon—further south to Sofala meant waiting an extra year! So… gold from Zimbabwe sent to Sofala was taken north to Kilwa which became the main trading port

powerful city state ruled by king who supervised trade and public life in region

by 12th c. coral building construction

Case Studies: Kilwa (Other city states also on east Africa coast- Mombassa, Sofala, Malindi) Cont’d

ruling elites dressed in Chinese silk and ate off

porcelain

mosques

by 13th c. multi-story buildings with sewage/

toilets

1300 –1505 height-- 12,000 pop.

trade with India, China, SE Asia

Decline in 14th century due to Black Death

sacked by de Gama

Case Study: Great Zimbabwe (interior kingdom- traded with Sofala which then interacted with Indian Ocean system)

Zimbabwe means dwelling of the chief

stone complexes

13th c. height

18,000 people – cattle was main symbol of wealth

but gold, ivory, slaves were traded to the ports

and porcelain, Indonesian beads etc. has been

found at the site.

controversy over its discovery

Case Study: Java

11th – 15th c. international spice market-

monopoly of fine spices (cloves, nutmeg, and

mace)

Malay sailors brought goods to harbors of east

Java

geographic advantage.

Winds usually ensured that traders didn’t meet

suppliers

myth arose that spices were locally grown