SAST 3701 Chapter 2: Alpers Ch. 2
27 Sep 2016
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Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Week V –!Reading Notes
SAST 3071
The Indian Ocean in World History (Alpers) –!Ch. 2
-The Ancient Indian Ocean:
•Periplus of the Erythraen Sea –!1st C. CE Commercial guide to the major trading
ports of the Western Indian Ocena for merchants of imperial Rome
•Navigation across the northern rim of the Indian ocean – dates back to 5000 BCE
-Sumerians created a centralized state in Mesopotamia (Around Iraq, Kuwait, etc)
•Euphrates = Dubbed the “Copper River” because of its vast array of stone, copper,
etc
•Harappa = Land based, but significant sea-going trade with the Persian Gulf
-Red Sea = More self-contained
•2500 BCE = Major shift in climate
-Less predictable environment
•Leading to a decrease in domesticated crops across Africa all the way to India.
•Societies continued to take shape into the millennia
•Alexander the Great’s Alexandria, Egypt = Central opening of the Red Sea to rapidly
assimilate itself in the Indian Ocean trade.
-Established many ports.
-The Periplus of the Erythraen Sea dates back to this period of expansive trade.
•Tells about the spices, pearls, textiles from China, glass beads from India, ivory/
spices/teak/ghee/oils from India, etc all being traded.
-Persians and Romans both secured many ports along the Gulf and Mediterranean
•Initial centuries of the “Current Era” = Marked politically by emergence of new
states such as:
!1
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Wednesday, August 24, 2016
1. Guptas (India)
2. Funan (SE Asia)
3. Sassanians (Persia)
-All of whom attempted to control trade and emphasized the importance of the
sea route for trade.
•These empires stimulated the exchange of goods, people, and ideologies across
the entire Indian Ocean World.
-6th C.
•Indian Ocean experienced a massive decline –!paralleling the decline of all 3 of
the prominent dynasties
-Bubonic Plague –!seemed to be the explanation behind this
•IRONIC –!That the spread of this disease may have been a direct
consequence of the very integration of the Indian Ocean’s world.
The Anthropology of Credit & Debt (Peebles)
-Of Bodies Individual and National
•Anthropogenic relationship between credit and debt
-Developed by Nietzsche (1887)
•Elaborated further by:
-Simmel (1907)
-Deleuze & Guattari (1972)
-Brown (1959)
-Pietz (1997)
•All insist on correlation b/t debt and bodily punishment
•Correlation b/t credit/debt and bodily punishment:
-Chu (2010)
!2
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Wednesday, August 24, 2016
•Examines transnational flow of Chinese migrants + the debt-slavery system they enter as
they emigrate
•Similar to system of indentured servitude
-Levi-Strauss (1949)
•Argues that bodies of women were traded by men in large systems credit/debt
•Consequently, building entire societies.
-“Via credit/debt, then, an almost visceral connection between the well-being of the individual
body and the national body is reified and reinforced in daily practice.”
-Conclusion
•Credit/Debt = More than normative pronouncements
-I.e. Credit = Liberating • Debt = Debilitating
•There is more to these 2 concepts
•Credit/debt is productive of social ties, hostilities, etc.
•Beneficial to see the economic side and moral side of this duality – TOGETHER.
Trade in Early India (Chakravarty) –!pp. 35-46
-In order to understand Harrapan civilization (c. 2500 - 1750BC) + early Indian trade, must
look at pre-Harrapan sites
-Mundigak (Afghanistan)
-Mehrgarh (Pakistan)
-Harappan Civilization
•Known for its:
- Flourishing agricultural economy
-Diversified crafts in stones and metals
-Lengthy trade
!3
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The indian ocean in world history (alpers) ch. Red sea = more self-contained: 2500 bce = major shift in climate. The periplus of the erythraen sea dates back to this period of expansive trade: tells about the spices, pearls, textiles from china, glass beads from india, ivory/ spices/teak/ghee/oils from india, etc all being traded. Persians and romans both secured many ports along the gulf and mediterranean: initial centuries of the current era = marked politically by emergence of new states such as: Wednesday, august 24, 2016: guptas (india, funan (se asia, sassanians (persia) All of whom attempted to control trade and emphasized the importance of the sea route for trade: these empires stimulated the exchange of goods, people, and ideologies across the entire indian ocean world. 6th c: indian ocean experienced a massive decline paralleling the decline of all 3 of the prominent dynasties.
