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3000 BCE
Origins of Indian Ocean trade routes.
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1000 BCE
Sugar Cane
From its origins in Southeast Asia, by 1000 BCE, sugar cane had reached India, where it was cultivated on a larger scale. By the end of the Classical Era, sugar was known in Persia as a wonderful luxury for cooking and sweetening. -
1000 BCE
Bananas
Bananas were cultivated in places in Southeast Asia as well, then traveled to India, and may have reached Africa by around 1000 BCE. 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. -
Period: 1000 BCE to 1 BCE
Phoenicians
The Phoenicians dominated trade and travel during the first millennium BCE. They also specialized in making glass products. The Phoenicians imported and exported items like wine, olives and olive oil, wheat, spices, metals, honey, and cedar wood. -
Period: 1000 BCE to 300 BCE
Classical Era
The Classical Era was from 1000-300 B.C.E.-
Historians think that long-distance trade from Egypt and Mesopotamia may have declined
around 1000 BCE. During the second half of the millennium, trade expanded among new groups of people. Several strong states existed at this time, including the
Mauryan Empire (323-185 BCE) of India, the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire in Europe,
and the Han Dynasty in China. -
Period: 751 BCE to 666 BCE
Moroe
For a short period, from 751 b.c.e. until the invasion of Egypt by the Assyrians in 666 b.c.e., the kings of Meroë also ruled as pharaohs of Egypt. Meroë had the mineral ores and fuels needed to produce iron on a large scale. That technology, and its extensive trade with Egypt and the Mediterranean, allowed Meroë to flourish. -
600 BCE
Trade Networks
Three large trade networks developed between 600 BCE and 600 CE: the Silk Road, the Indian Ocean trade, and the Saharan trade. -
Period: 600 BCE to 600
The Dhow
The dhow was a sailing vessel utilized on these trades routes to transport merchandise. When coupled with the lateen sail (c. 200 CE) it made for an efficient mode of transport. -
Period: 600 BCE to 750
Foreign merchants and missionaries spread religion.
Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism - 600 BCE - 300 BCE
Christianity - 100 CE - 700 CE
Islam - 632 CE - 75- CE -
Period: 600 BCE to 300 BCE
Religion Spreads
Between 600 and 300 BCE, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism spread across the Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia. -
500 BCE
Greek and Roman sailors and traders enter the Indian Ocean
Traded ceramics, glassware, wine, gold, olive oil. -
Period: 431 BCE to 404 BCE
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War was where Athens and Sparta fought over rival claims to a colonial city-state. During the 2nd year of this war, a massive plague called the Athenian Plague broke out. This attempt to invade Sicily cost Athens more than 200 ships, 4500 men and many trading allies. -
Period: 430 BCE to 426 BCE
Athenian Plague
The Athenian Plague was a massive plague that killed 1/3 of the population, including Pericles. -
400 BCE
Isthmus of Kra
The Isthmus of Kra is a narrow strip of land that connects the Malay Peninsula to the continent of Asia. As early as the fourth century BCE, traders from India reached the rest of Southeast Asia by crossing the Isthmus of Kra, rather than making the longer and more difficult journey around the entire Malay Peninsula. -
Period: 356 BCE to 323 BCE
Alexander the Great
He founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt, which would become a major center of art and trade. The conquests of Alexander the Great laid the foundation for centuries of interaction and cultural exchanges. -
332 BCE
Alexandria
Alexandria was founded in 332 B.C.E. It was a hub of international trade. It was the center of trade routes connecting Rome to inner Africa, the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia. -
326 BCE
Nearchus
A naval officer for Alexander the Great who led his fleet from the Indus River to the Persian Gulf. -
323 BCE
Sea lanes joined Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean into one network.
India traded spices and pepper.
Persia and Egypt traded grain.
Mediterranean traded wine and oil. -
323 BCE
Ptolemies learned about monsoon system in Indian Ocean.
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Period: 321 BCE to 185 BCE
Period of Mauryan Rule
During the period of Mauryan Rule, there was a great expansion in trade between main centers of civilization in Eurasia and Africa. -
300 BCE
Frankincense and myrrh
Frankincense and myrrh trading served as a driving force to open Indian Ocean Trade. During the Classical Era, they were transported by Arab merchants-along with spices, gold, ivory, pearls, precious stones and textiles. -
300 BCE
Berenike
Berenike, an Egyptian port city located on the Red Sea that was a major center of international trade from the third century BCE until its decline in the sixth century CE. The city traded extensively with India, exchanging goods like cloth, pottery, beads, wood, and bamboo. During the Roman Empire, spices, myrrh, frankincense, pearls, and textiles were all shipped through Berenike to Alexandria and Rome. -
Period: 271 BCE to 232 BCE
Ashoka
Ashoka was one of the most famous Indian emperors. He ruled from 271-232 B.C.E. He sent religious envoys abroad which encouraged contact and interactions that contributed to the establishment of trade relations. -
118 BCE
Eudoxus of Cyzicus
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. -
100 BCE
Peper
Peppercorns were an important part of the spice trade. The spice was considered so valuable that the ancient Romans used it as a form of money, equal to gold and other precious metals. -
Period: 63 BCE to 14
Expansion of trade due to the Pax Romana.
Begun under the rule of Augustus Caesar, a period of peace in the Roman Empire allowed trade to flourish. -
78
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
A guide to travel and trade in the Indian Ocean by a first century merchant.