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The Indian Ocean had been the scene of robust international trade for centuries prior to the Portuguese arrival.  In this episode, I explore the geography and economy of the region from antiquity to the 15th century.  The maritime routes that crisscrossed the region were dependent upon the monsoon winds.  This resulted in the development of ports like Quanzhou, China, as cosmopolitan centers of culture and commerce.


Links to resources
Imagined Geographies: The Maritime Silk Roads in World History by Geoffrey C. Gunn
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century translation by Wilfred H. Schoff, 1912
A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World by William J. Bernstein
Interactive map of the Silk Roads UNESCO

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Intro Music: Hayden Symphony #39
Outro Music: Vivaldi Concerto for Mandolin and Strings in D