Indian Ocean & African Trade Networks of Communication & Exchange Chapter 7

Not Just Trade… Travel Migration Imperial conquest Religious interaction Cultural interaction

Indian Ocean

Unique… First real ocean humans could cross rather than just clinging to shorelines Place where Africa & Eurasia come together Waters are warm Wind system tailor-made for long-distance voyaging Oceanic trade & travel longer here than anywhere Lack of unity…connects lots of unique cultures

Monsoons Predictable Sail with the wind, both ways Discovered by all Indian Ocean peoples

Three Distinct Regions South China Sea East coast of India to the islands of Southeast Asia West coast of India to the Persian Gulf & the east coast of Africa

Early Voyages Could cross the top of the ocean & still follow a coastline Early as third millennium BCE, sailors traversing waters between Mesopotamia & and the Indus in simple craft Madagascar settled by people from Southeast Asia during first millennium

New Technologies Triangular lateen sail

Ecological Variety Served as stimulus to trade East Africa – mangroves; frankincense India – teak (wood) ; pepper Arabia – horses; pearls SE Asia – nutmeg China – pottery; silk

Human Variety Connects Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and East Asia Vigorous cross-cultural interaction port cities

Religion Missionaries used the routes Indian merchants had Brahmin priests travel spreading Hinduism Spread of Buddhism Spread of Christianity

Trans-Saharan

The Trade Southern traders brought salt across Sahara Equatorial forest traders brought palm oil Romans supplied wheat & olives Sahel were the middlemen

The Challenge of Geography Desert to north Oceans to east and west Difficult equatorial travel in rain forest Mountains separate east and west Few external contacts

The Bantu Hypothesis – cultural unity came from the peoples who occupied the southern Sahara & had to migrate southward; therefore common roots of culture (desertification) Evidence comes from path of spread of bananas, copper, & iron smelting Although over 2,000 distinct languages, they come from Bantu language family