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Seasonal monsoon winds, along with the ability to navigate by the stars, mariners sailed across the Arabian Sea in open water.
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Sugar Cane came from South East Asia. By the end of this era, it was known in Persia as a luxury cooking item.
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Bananas were a crop that originated in Africa and spread to China and has been known to be in parts of the Middle East. This was a delicacy of the time and was a large factor of beginning trade in the area.
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Ships would carry massive amounts of cargo at one time. They carried more bulk and staple items rather than larger amounts of luxury items. They used the monsoon winds to travel.
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The kamal is a navigation device used by Arab navigators in the Indian Ocean. It determines latitude at sea by observing the distance between the horizon and a particular star.
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The Indian Ocean Trade included places like Kilwa, Sofala, Mombasa, and Malindi. These African city-states exported gold, ivory, and iron to India, Southeast Asia, and China.
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The Persian people migrated from Asia to Iran.
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Indigo dye, which becomes a highly coveted trade item, makes its first recorded appearance in Greek history and is traded throughout.
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China exports silk which became highly prized in India, the Middle East, and the Roman Empire.
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Alexander the great defeats the Persian Empire. He establishes the city of Alexandria in Egypt. The city becomes a hub city of trade.
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Scylax of Caryanda made a voyage into the Indian Ocean from 510-515 BCE. He went exploring in the service of King Darius of Persia, who had heard of the riches of India and wanted to discover the mouth of the Indus River.
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An admiral from Carthage sailed the coast of Africa and gave the earliest description of Western Africa. He also established a trading post and several colonies
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Because of the silk road Buddhist beliefs began to spread
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Punch-marked silver coins begin to be used for trade all along the trade routes.
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Greek explorer who traveled the monsoon wind system of the Indian Ocean bringing back cargo of precious stones and aromatics. His second trip was a failure as he disappeared on the return voyage.
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Zhang explored the Silk Road trade routes. Many foreign cultures and lands became available thanks to Zhang helping to open China. After his travels in the Indian trade routes the new name for his route was called "The Silk Road."
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The spice was considered so valuable that the ancient Romans used it as a form of money, equal to gold and other precious metals.
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Pearls were a popular jewelry style in the Roman Empire. They were an ideal trade good because they took up very little room on ships or caravans. Pearls were commonly used for jewelry and decoration and were even ground up for medicinal purposes.
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Diseases begin to break out in China and Rome. These included smallpox, measles, and bubonic plague. These diseases greatly weaken these empires.
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Ships that had returned from military missions brought back what was called the Antonine Plague, a form of smallpox. The disease ravaged Rome and permanently damaging Rome's relationship with the Indian Ocean trading routes.
