2.3 Indian Ocean Exchanges

indian ocean trade- network of sea routes connecting Afro-Eurasia

Expanded significantly after the Mongols fell

causes

collapse of Mongol Empire
- silk road flourished under them.
- when they died so did the silk road
- greater emphasis on maritime trade developed as safety of silk road declined
innovations in commercial practices
- money economies
- credit
- made trade easier and increased use of routes
innovations in transportation
- magnetic compass
- lateen sails
  - ships could take wind from any direction
- astrolabe
- knowledge of monsoon winds
- improvements in ship building
  - chinese junk ships
  - dhows
    - arab
environmental knowledge
- monsoon winds
spread of islam
- very friendly to merchants
- facilitated increased trade

growth of city states
- swahili city states
  - strategically located to benefit from trade
  - gold, slaves, and ivory
  - built churches to display wealth
- malacca
  - sultanate
  - controlled strait of malacca
  - taxed it
  - got incredibly rich and expanded power
diasporic community
- group of people who establish home in another place while retaining customs and culture
- in east africa, arab and persian communities
- diasporic chinese communities in southeast asia
- increased scope and held together indian ocean networks
cultural and technological transfers
- just as important as physical commodities!!
- religion, language, technology
  - zheng he chinese voyages
    - enormous fleet traveled the known world
    - latest in military tech (gunpowder cannons)
    - traded with many regions
    - led to chinese isolation to protect confucianism from outside influence and new ideas