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Javanese Merchant Ship

Type Object Region Southeast Asia Time c. 800–1500

Javanese merchant ships were large sailing vessels active on Southeast Asian and South China Sea routes around the 12th century, with multiple decks,…

Timeline

  1. c. 800–1000Ports of Java and Sumatra · IndonesiaThe "Kunlun ships" recorded in Tang-dynasty texts mostly came from the Malay Archipelago; large wooden sailing ships could already ply monsoon routes between the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, carrying several hundred tons.
  2. c. 1121–1130Malacca Strait–Java Sea route · Malacca StraitIn the 1120s Javanese merchant ships, backed by polities such as Kediri, were active in strait trade, carrying cloves, sandalwood and island products, and exchanging with ports of the Srivijaya remnant and with Chinese and Champa merchant vessels.
  3. c. 1300–1500Java · JavaIn the 13th–14th centuries Majapahit further organized ocean-going fleets, and Javanese-style large sailing ship technology spread to wider waters, only gradually declining after the rise of European colonial trade.

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