Ccot Commerce in the Indian Ocean Region from 650 Ce to 1450 Ce
Since it first began, Indian Ocean commerce has been a linking force in the surrounding region. However, it has not all remained the same. Between 650 CE and 1450 CE, Indian Ocean trade routes and dominating groups changed significantly, while the goods they traded remained largely the same. Trade routes used by Indian Ocean mariners were important to the region's commerce. They needed to find faster, easier routes to the destination. At first, many merchants would have to sail to far away ports in one circuit. Due to the need for faster transportation, they developed a system in which merchants would travel only part of the way, and would take them to the final destination. This allowed merchants to travel less distances, and transport goods more frequently. Also, originally there was trade only between a few states, but because of the expansion of trade, more groups, such as Arabia, China, Africa, and the Middle East, began to participate. One thing that had always remained the same, however, was that India was a major participant in these exchanges. Over time, different groups got hold of control of trade on the Indian Ocean. For example, India had the power in the beginning, but after Muslim conquests, the Islamic people had more control. In the post-classical era, after the Portuguese raids on coastal cities, Portugal began to dominate trade in the area. Despite all the conflicts however, Gujarat, Aden, and Malacca remained major port cities, and coastal regions still prospered. The products traded on the Indian Ocean both impacted and were impacted by the people participating. In the beginning, spices, textiles, and grains were traded. Since Europe, Asia, and Africa began rising in prosperity, more luxury items, such as metals, jewels, silk, and exotic animals, began to move across the region. Even though there were many changes to the goods that were traded, gold and slaves were still a major part of the goods traded in the region, because