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Goods like salt, metal, stone, wood, and food
were apart of early trade transported by land, river, and coastal routes. -
The Austronesians were the ancestors of marinermigrants
all around the Indian Ocean and in the Pacific. These people carried
crops such as yams, coconuts, bananas, sugar cane, and taro-root, as well as other rare plants, to new
homes. This was a way to transport new foods to different areas. -
They created their boats by digging out logs to create canoes. The boats had long poles attached to keep the boats from flipping in the water. They used coconut fiber ropes to hold everything together and wove grass into sailing systems to steer the boat with wind.
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Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley began to trade by sea. There are artifacts and inscriptions that show trade from Mesopotamia along the shores of the Arabian Gulf.
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The desire for luxury increased. Goods like wood, carving stone and jewelry stones, metals for war and
crafts, and ceramics were desired. Goods like cotton, wool, copper, gold, silver and turquoise, pearls and coral from the sea were also desired good of this time. -
Mesopotamia's exported a surplus of grain.
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Sumerian traders traveled by the coast into the Indian Ocean, dealing with traders in the Indus Valley. Weight and
seals on the goods helped trade to became more organized. With the new writing systems, records of voyages, goods, places and royal expeditions testify to trade. -
Mesopotamian societies traded with Egypt across the Eastern Mediterranean using both land and coastal routes.
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The domestication of the camel helped join coastal water routes
with land routes, and joined bodies of water across the desert. -
Planked ships may have been built as early as 3000 BCE.
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The people who traveled the trade routes began to notice the seasonal monsoon winds, and used their ability to navigate by stars. They were then able to sail the Arabian Sea openly.
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Indian and Arab ships sailed from Southern Arabia to the Malabar coast of India and back. This was the same time that the Austronesian's sailed West. They got to India,
and settled in Madagascar. We know this because of the
Malagasy language, crops like banana, coconut, and yam, and construction of houses in Madagascar.
No one can tell if there were return voyages or communication. -
Trade in the Indian Ocean becomes more evident thanks to articles, and record keeping.
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Trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia declined.
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The Indian Ocean Trade also passed on religion. Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism spread across the Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia.
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Greek and Roman traders came to the Indian Ocean after sent by the ruler of Persia - Darius I.
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Nearchus was sent by Alexander the Great to travel from Indus to the Arabian Gulf. Other Greek people sailed to India and around the Arabian Peninsula to Oman.
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The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea outlines ports, land, and goods located in the Indian Ocean It also included information about the east coast of Africa and of India.
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Goods from China and Southeast Asia appear on record of trade with India. India exported goods, and imported silver, copper, and gold.
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Many strong states occurred during this time period. They consisted of the Mauryan Empire of India, the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire in Europe, and the Han Dynasty in China.
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Roman currency has been found in alongside Indian currency. Common goods that you would have seen during this time period would have been cloth, ceramics, pottery, metal wares, glass, beads, incense, rare woods, and spices, pearls and coral. There have been articles of goods found at archaeological sites which confirm the notes about their trade.
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Silk traveled by land between Rome and China during the Han dynasty, but also appeared on the sea
route. Goods like sugar cane, cotton, sesame, and rice also passed through the Indian Ocean trade. -