INDIAN OCEAN

• What enabled the vast trading system of the Indian Ocean? How?

  • The Monsoon winds were the engines that drove trade because they predictably changed directions twice a year: spring and summer & winter and fall
  • they did this every year too; there was no change
• Where were the busiest ports in the Indian Ocean? Why?

  • Busiest ports in the Indian Ocean were located in regions where trade routes intersected, such as:
  • Southern China: Guangzhou and Quanzhou
  • India: Calicut and Cambay
  • Southeast Asia: Malacca and Majapahit
  • East Africa: Kilwa and Mogadishu
  • Arabian Peninsula: Aden and Muscat
  • These ports thrived due to their strategic locations, facilitating trade between various regions
• How did the rise of empires help expand the trade?

  • The rise of empires helped expand trade by providing stability, enforcing laws and regulations, and investing in infrastructure such as roads and ports. Empires like the Song Dynasty and Islamic states created favorable conditions for trade to flourish by promoting economic policies that encouraged commerce and protected merchants
• Some argue that the most important factor driving trade was cultural. What does he mean?

  • Some suggests that cultural factors, particularly the expansion of Islam, played a significant role in driving trade by connecting diverse regions of the Indian Ocean through shared religious beliefs, language, and trading practices. Conversion to Islam often provided economic benefits, such as lower taxes, which incentivized participation in trade networks
• What important aspect of the Indian Ocean trade are highlighted by the Zheng He voyages?

  • Zheng He's voyages highlight the peaceful and diplomatic nature of Indian Ocean trade. Despite the potential for conquest, China focused on showcasing its power and collecting tribute rather than asserting dominance. This illustrates the cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships between different states and rulers within the Indian Ocean trade network
• Explain the role of environmental factors in the development of networks of exchange in the period from c. 1200 to 1450.

  • Environmental factors such as monsoon winds and ocean currents played a crucial role in shaping trade routes and facilitating exchange between regions. The seasonal nature of monsoons determined the timing of maritime voyages, influencing the flow of goods and connecting distant societies
• Compared to other trading systems in 1200-1450


  How the Indian Ocean trade was different or similar to these other networks
• Indian Ocean trade

  • Reliance on sea routes
  • Allowed for transportation of larger quantities of goods over longer distances
• Silk Road

  • Primarily connected Eurasian landmasses
• Indian Ocean trade network

  • Connected regions bordering the Indian Ocean basin
  • Facilitated exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures across diverse societies
• Evidence supporting the claim that the Indian Ocean was the most important rading route

  • The Indian Ocean's extensive reach, facilitating trade between Asia, Africa, and the Middle East
  • The wealth generated from Indian Ocean trade fueled the rise of powerful empires and facilitated cultural exchange
• Challenges to the claim that the Indian Ocean was the most important trading route

  • The significance of other trading networks such as the Silk Road and Trans-Saharan trade routes, which also played crucial roles in shaping global commerce during this period
• • In the spring and summer, the Indian subcontinent heats up and draws cool air from the ocean over the continent. These winds blow northeast, dumping heavy rains on the coast
• • In the fall and winter, the winds change direction to the southwest as the land cools off
• • Rise of large empires like the Song Dynasty in China and Islamic states in the western Indian Ocean facilitated stability and wealth, encouraging trade
• • Song Dynasty reforms provided more freedom to merchants and introduced a monetized tax system, boosting domestic and foreign trade
• • Mongol Empire's expansion in the thirteenth century increased trade across Afro-Eurasia but collapsed, shifting focus to sea-based trade routes
• • Expansion of Islam played a crucial role in connecting diverse parts of the Indian Ocean trade system, influencing trade networks and spreading cultural and religious values
• • Trust was essential in long-distance trade, facilitated by shared language, beliefs, and Islamic courts enforcing contracts
• • Ming Dynasty in China, particularly under the leadership of Admiral Zheng He, developed impressive maritime technology and conducted diplomatic voyages rather than seeking conquest
• • Indian Ocean trade system was relatively peaceful despite occasional conflicts, allowing merchants to operate freely and exchange goods and ideas across diverse ports
• • thorough understanding of monsoon winds made trade along this network possible
• • a large bulk of what was traded along these routes included more common goods like textiles and spices
• Causes of expansion

  magnetic compass, astrolabe, new ship designs, various forms of credit
• magnetic compass

  • helped merchants know which direction to sail in
• astrolabe

  tool for measuring the stars and then comparing them to star charts which helped reckon latitude & longitude
• effects of expansion

  growth of states (swahili), diasporic communities, new languages emerged
• Swahili States

  • by acting as brokers for good originating from the african interior, cities grew significantly in power & wealth
  • converting to islam got them into trading world
• diasporic communities

  • settlement of ethnic ppl in a location other than their homeland
  • arab and persian communities established in East Africal led to cultural intermingling
• • new language like swahili emerged