Driven by the Monsoons: Through the Indian Ocean and the Seas of China

by Barry Cunliffe, Keval Shah (Contribution by)

Overview

The Silk Road may be one origin of globalization, but the Indian Ocean is another. Barry Cunliffe examines the beginning of maritime trade using the evidence of archaeology and the tales of great travelers such as Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and the Chinese Admiral, Zheng He. This story complements that of the land routes, showing how humans have been driven across thousands of years to create and maintain networks whatever the difficulties.

Driven by the Monsoons illuminates maritime connections between the Indian Ocean and its surrounding water routes: the Arabian Gulf and the Red and China Seas. It begins with the movement of humans into South-East Asia and ends about 1600 CE when European companies emerge to takeover. It is tale of exotic goods, material needs, adventure, and desire.

While conditions at sea and the abilities of the maritime communities provided a degree of stability, the direction and intensity of trade and the types of commodities on the move was determined by the fortunes and aspirations of distant empires, those of China in the east and South-West Asia and the Mediterranean in the west. This ever-changing pressure provided the dynamic situation in which society and economies in East Africa, India, and South-East Asia flourished. Driven by the Monsoons explores the birth of the modern, connected, world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798228606418
Publisher:	Tantor
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Barry Cunliffe is Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford. He taught archaeology at the Universities of Bristol and Southampton and was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2008, thereafter becoming Emeritus Professor. He has excavated widely in Britain (Fishbourne, Bath, Danebury, Hengistbury Head, Brading) and in the Channel Islands, Brittany, and Spain, and has been President of the Council for British Archaeology and of the Society of Antiquaries, Governor of the Museum of London, a Commissioner of English Heritage, and a Trustee of the British Museum. His many publications include Facing the Ocean, The Druids: A Very Short Introduction, Britain Begins, By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean, and On the Ocean, all published by Oxford University Press. He received a knighthood in 2006.

Keval Shah started his voice acting journey in the remote plains of East Africa before moving to the UK. A professionally trained actor with a facility for accents, Keval uses his Indian/British/Ugandan cultural mix to bring diverse performances to his projects.

Table of Contents

1. In the Beginning
2. Building Networks: 5000-1000 BCE
3. The Impact of the Western Empires: 1000-30 BCE
4. The Indian Ocean: 30 BCE-CE 651
5. Meanwhile, in the East: 1000 BCE-CE 650
6. Interlude: Challenging the Endless Oceans
7. Reorientation: CE 650-960
8. Tempestuous Land, Calming Seas: CE 960-1368
9. Of Treasure Fleets and Gun Boats: CE 1370-1490
10. The World Encircled: CE 1490-1602
11. Riding the Monsoons: Retrospect and Prospect
A Guide to Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

"Once again Barry Cunliffe brings his archaeological and historical expertise to bear on maritime spaces, the Indian Ocean and the seas off China, that have been sailed intensively for thousands of years. The story of these seas is the story of how Asia, Africa, and then Europe became connected, first through trade and migration, and then through conquest. It is also the story of cultural interactions, as religious ideas moved east and as silk and spices moved west." — David Abulafia, Professor Emeritus of Mediterranean History in the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Gonville and Caius College

From the Publisher