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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
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Indian Ocean & African Trade Networks of Communication & Exchange Chapter 7
Not Just Trade… • Travel • Migration • Imperial conquest • Religious interaction • Cultural interaction
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 byall 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 (entrepôt)
Religion • Missionaries used the routes • Indian merchants had Brahmin priests travel spreading Hinduism • Spread of Buddhism • Spread of Christianity
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