lecture 22: “southernization” and the indian ocean trade
TRANSCRIPT
Topics:Trade!
From 1000-1500 CE
Questions:What is the significance of “southernization”?
What conditions determined the patterns of trade in the Indian Ocean?
How did the Indian Ocean trade compare with the Silk Road?
Lecture 22: “Southernization” and the Indian Ocean Trade
Beyond the Empire = SOUTH
The Mongol Empire = NORTH
“Southernization”China: massive population shift south
Baghdad: Oriented toward Indian Ocean
Most sought-after goods coming from south:Spices, African gold, Chinese porcelain
Europe: Mediterranean cities (Venice, Genoa)
“Southern” products (cotton, rice, citrus) adopted elsewhere in Dar al-Islam
Southward spread of Buddhism and Islam
FROM LAND TO SEA
MonsoonsModerate, predictable winds
Easily navigable waters
One-way!Seasonal
Long waits in portTrade follows circuits
Indian Ocean
Ports of the Indian Ocean
No Empires
KilwaAden
HormuzCambayCalicutMalacca
(Hangzhou)(Guangzhou)
Local rulers:collected taxes & fees
defense vs. piracy
Ports often cut off from interior
Multicultural, multilingual merchant
communities
Some entirely dependent on trade:
import food
Everybody profits from smooth, peaceful network of trade
GoldFed the system with cash
SpicesMost profitable trade items
Black pepperCinnamon = Sri lankaFine spices = Moluccas
Cloves
Nutmeg
Aloe
Spice Islands = Moluccas
Malay “raft”
Cloves, nutmeg, maceEntirely dependent upon trade
Malacca
Kilwa Winter: bring silk, cotton, carpets, hardware, Persian pottery, Chinese porcelain Summer: leave with mangrove poles, rice, ivory, gold & copper
Chinese silk and porcelain; fine spices from Moluccas; sugar from Philippines Indian cotton, incense, dyes, copperware, opiumFinancial center
China at Sea
Song junk
“Treasure ship” (Giant junk)
Zheng He“Treasure Fleet”
1403-33 CE
Largest market
Export goods(silk, porcelain)
Abu ‘Abdullah ibn Battuta (1304-1368)
WIDERWORLD!
How do trading networks compare to empires in the production of written records?
Trade NetworksEmpires
Royal propagandaRecord-keepingAdministration
Trained scribesIntellectual elite
Scriptural ReligionsCommon Written
Language
Commercial Contracts ?
Travel accounts & Geographies
Religious Texts
Introduce Writing& Written intellectual culture
Eurasian Trade Zones