Indian Ocean

Fishing Boats

5000 BCE

Fishing boats were used by travelers for travel, hunting food, and even trade. These boats were made from wood, and were not that sturdy.

Sugar

1000 BCE

Sugar cane originated from Southeast Asia. When sugar cane made its was to India, sugar can started getting produced in larger amounts. Sugar was known as a luxury in many cultures, as the Persians valued sugar for its cooking.

Bananas

1000 BCE

When Bananas were discovered in Southeast Asia they traveled quickly. Sought out in every culture and when first discovered were very valuable.

Buddhism

500 BCE

Religion and culture was also spread throughout the Indian Ocean. As well as goods, luxury and services. Buddhism spread pretty quickly as the culture created institutions, and rituals.

Ommana

500 BCE

Ommana was a town in Persia, known for its copper and different styles of wood. Some of the wood available for trade was sandalwood, teakwood, and timbers. Ommana was known as a "market town."

Glass

450 BCE

The Phoenicians were known for their glass making skills. Glass became valuable trading quickly. Wines and cooking oils became vastly popular and the use of glass was able to preserve the taste.

Cinnamon

440 BCE

Not sure where cinnamon actually originated from. Historians say cinnamon originated from Greece, South Asia, and the East African Coast. Cinnamon became very popular spice, and was traded through what is known as the "Cinnamon Route."

Gupta Empire

400 BCE

The Gupta Empire came to a halt. As the trade of gold started becoming more valuable, Gupta valued business. With India and other valuing gold the Gupta Empire eventually died out.

Roman Coins

250 BCE

Roman Coins were used for trading with other cultures. Many Roman coins were for trading, along with metals gold, silver, and copper.

Road Advancement

200 BCE

Major road systems started to become more advanced. The Persian, Chinese's, and Mediterranean leaders started improving the roadways. The roadways were a huge advancement in the Classical Era. Using animals for transportation made the surrounding cultures more accessible for trading.

Pearls

200 BCE

Pearls found along Persian Gulf in the water in oysters. Pearls were in high demand by the Roman Empire. Pearls were valued highly by the Romans and made trading between Arab and Roman trading in high demand.

India

200 BCE

China and Southeast Asia were frequent trading partners with India. India valued jewelry and metals. India imported Gold, silver, and copper.

Pottery

200 BCE

Pottery founded in India, was very valued by the Romans. Trading between these two cultures were in high demand. Pottery was used for containers, art, and dining wear.

Cloves

200 BCE

A clove is a dried flower bud, and which was used for cooking and medical purposes. Cloves a decent from Indonesia, cloves were very desirable item that many cultures imported. Cloves were imported by Romand, and made its way out to Southeast Asia and was even imported by the Had Dynasty.

Religion

200 BCE

With Buddhism spreading throughout the Indian Ocean. The Greeks formed to Christianity which was a close for to Buddhism. This affected trade communications when religion started playing a bigger factor in cultures.

Improvements

200 BCE

Many improvements were made in this time period. With technology advancing and cultures trying to improve inventions to make their trade more valuable. China re-invented horse straddles, they improved by not having the horse choke out and lose breath. This made their route faster by the horses taking less breaks.

Ending of Roman Empire

190 BCE

Trading had a major impact on the decline of the Roman Empire. For military protection farm owners gave large plots of land to the larger landlords. Local estates looked to produce everything themselves. The empire stoped elaborate trading, and made the city less valuable because they had nothing to tax.

Barygaza

1000

Barygaza was a spot off the west coast of India. Barygaza was a part of India where cultures would export their goods and Merchants would do the same.