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Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

Type Object Region Indian Ocean Time c. 1–500

Indian Ocean maritime trade was a monsoon- and port-based commercial network linking East Africa, Arabia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China, carr…

Timeline

  1. c. 1–200Muziris · IndiaRoman merchant ships used the monsoon to travel between the Red Sea and South Indian ports, exchanging gold coin for pepper, pearls, and spices, forming a transoceanic direct trade system; Roman sources record massive outflows of gold and silver.
  2. c. 200–350Aden–Aksum ports · East AfricaAfter Roman trade declined, the Kingdom of Aksum and Arabian peninsula ports became new hubs of Indian Ocean trade, linking the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and India's west coast, reorganizing the trade-route pattern.
  3. c. 300–500Strait of Malacca–Funan · Southeast AsiaDuring the Gupta period Indian merchants connected with ports of Southeast Asian kingdoms such as Funan; China's Southern Dynasties participated in South China Sea trade through ports like Guangzhou, and an integrated Indian Ocean–South China Sea commercial network began to take shape.

Sources