Indian Ocean Trade: an overview from Late Antiquity to the 17th century

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course will examine aspects of the archaeology of Indian Ocean trade from the Late Antique to the 17th century, focussing on the Western Indian Ocean in particular. The lectures will set out the broad scheme of trade, economic development and merchant activity and then focus on a number of case studies looking at specific sites, regions, shipwrecks, commodities, theories and academic debates. By the end of the course students will have a broad outline of the history of Indian Ocean trade. They will understand the significance of Indian Ocean trade to the Late Antique, early medieval, medieval and post-medieval worlds. They will have a knowledge of some of the key academic debates related to Indian Ocean trade, such as, for example, historiographical issues, the role of early Islamic merchants, the 'peddler trade', and the question of an Indian Ocean identity. Students will debated issues in close relation to archaeological evidence and will have increased their understanding of how archaeological evidence can be used to develop an understanding of trade and commerce.