An Odd Couple of Ancient China: ‘Fierce-Fire Oil’ and ‘Rose-Dew’ in Huang Zhong’s Hai yu 海語 (1536)

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-92
Author(s):  
Chiara Bocci
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Tenth Century ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
The Indian Ocean

Abstract This study examines two entries in Huang Zhong’s Words of the Sea: ‘fierce-fire oil’ and ‘tumi-dew’ (rose-water), whose connection goes back at least to the tenth century, when they were offered as tributes by the king of Champa. They continued to appear together down through the centuries, thus reinforcing the idea of a particular relation; a curious circumstance, given their utterly different nature: an incendiary medium to destroy enemies, and an intoxicating fragrance. Going back in time, one realizes that they shared a Middle Eastern origin: Byzantium, Persia and the Arabian Peninsula. As the sea-routes took on a more prominent role and new powers like Srivijaya emerged (see Kulke, 2016), they got to be appreciated along the shores of the Indian Ocean, where they generated such great profits that the locals learned to manufacture their own alternatives. Huang Zhong seems to be the first to name ‘tumi-flower dew’ this alternative rose-water.

Shipped but Not Sold

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Um
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Social Meaning ◽  
The West ◽  
Commercial Society ◽  
The Indian Ocean

In the early decades of the eighteenth century, Yemen hosted a lively community of merchants that came to the southern Arabian Peninsula from the east and the west, seeking, among other products, coffee, at a time when this new social habit was on the rise. Shipped but not Sold argues that many of the diverse goods that these merchants carried, bought, and sold at the port, also played ceremonial, social, and utilitarian roles in this intensely commercial society that was oriented toward the Indian Ocean. Including sumptuous foreign textiles and robes, Arabian horses, porcelain vessels, spices, aromatics, and Yemeni coffee, these items were offered, displayed, exchanged, consumed, or utilized by major merchants in a number of socially exclusive practices that affirmed their identity and status, but also sustained the livelihood of their business ventures. These traders invested these objects with layers of social meaning through a number of repetitive ceremonial exercises and observances, in addition to their everyday protocols of the trade. This study looks at what happened to these local and imported commodities that were diverted from the marketplace to be used for a set of directives that were seemingly quite non-transactional.

Uneasy Litter Mates: Population and Progress

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett Hardin
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Possible Worlds ◽  
New World ◽  
Tenth Century ◽  
Manifest Destiny ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
Human Species ◽  
The World ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Southern Iraq

In the fifth century B.C., Herodotus reported that there had been a time when a person could walk across North Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and be always in the shade of trees. No more: the land was well on the way to becoming the desert we know today. Herodotus generalized: "Man stalks across the landscape, and deserts follow in his footsteps." In the tenth century A.D., a Samanid prince identified four earthly paradises: the regions of Samarkand, southern Persia, southern Iraq, and Damascus. No one who has visited any of these sites now would dream of calling it a paradise. They have been cursed with wars, but warfare is only a secondary cause of their degradation. Throughout history human exploitation of the earth has produced this progression: colonize—destroy—move on. When the Pollyannas write history they focus only on the first of these three actions, the desirable effects of which were most evident during the rapid colonization of the New World. In 1845 a now obscure American journalist coined a deathless phrase when he spoke of "the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence." "Manifest destiny" is one of those catchphrases we love. We would not welcome the words of a journalist who identified colonization as but a prelude to destruction and abandonment. The restless "moving on" of the human species has depended on always having fresh land to move to. Optimists are not easily frightened by the results, of course: as late as 1980 one Pollyanna brightly explained how all turned out for the best in this best of all possible worlds: "Each year deserts the world over engulf an area the size of Massachusetts. A great deal of land lost is agricultural. . . . Fortunately, however, land is always being replaced or coming under cultivation to make up for land lost." An ecologist—ever guided by the question "And then what?"—would insist on a clarification of the above quotation: Does "always" mean "forever"? If so, it implies that there are no limits to earthly space. It is not surprising that ecologists are not the most popular of people in a growth-oriented economy.

Sindbad's Ocean: Reframing the Market in the Middle East

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 754-757
Author(s):  
Johan Mathew
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Gulliver's Travels ◽  
The World ◽  
Cultural Markers ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Indian Ocean World

There are few figures as universally beloved and yet recognizably “Middle Eastern” as Sindbad. The text of Sindbad's seven voyages travel easily across continents and languages and many of the tales blur imperceptibly into those of Homer'sThe Odysseyand Swift'sGulliver's Travels. Yet this swashbuckling adventurer is also firmly situated in the world of Abbasid Iraqandthe Indian Ocean world. Sindbad is clearly identified as a good Muslim and respected Baghdadi merchant, and while fantastical, there are recognizable geographic and cultural markers that locate his voyages within the Indian Ocean world. This iconic character of Arab popular culture pushes us to contemplate how easily the Arab world flows into that of the Indian Ocean.

Cradles of Diaspora: Bombay, Aden, and Jewish Migration across the Indian Ocean

Crossroads ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-33
Author(s):  
Shaul Marmari
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Port Cities ◽  
British Raj ◽  
Migrant Communities ◽  
Jewish Migration ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Port Said

Abstract During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, migrant communities of Middle Eastern Jews emerged across the vast space between Shanghai and Port Said. The present article points to two crucial knots in the creation of these far-reaching Jewish diasporas: Bombay and Aden. These rising port cities of the British Raj were first stations in the migration of thousands of Middle Eastern Jews, and they presented immigrants with new commercial, social, cultural and spatial horizons; it was from there that many of them proceeded to settle elsewhere beyond the Indian Ocean. Using the examples of two prominent families, Sassoon in Bombay and Menahem Messa in Aden, the article considers the role of these places as the cradles from which Jewish diasporas emerged.

scholarly journals THE RECEPTION AND CONSUMPTION OF EASTERN GOODS IN ROMAN SOCIETY

2013 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Adam Cobb
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Roman Society ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Sea Ports ◽  
Late Roman Period ◽  
Monsoon Winds

The Roman Empire received goods from eastern lands through a variety of overland routes crossing the Arabian Peninsula and Mesopotamia, and through seaborne trade via the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. In particular, the sea routes that utilized the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean enabled a significant volume of goods to be imported from the East on ships that may often have been of several hundred tons' capacity. The scale of the trade was significant enough for Pliny to claim that 100 million sesterces were being sent annually to India, China, and Arabia. The veracity of these figures has come in for some debate, especially with the publication of a document known as the Muziris Papyrus, which reveals that a shipment of nard, ivory, and textiles received at one of the Egyptian Red Sea ports in the second centuryadwas valued at the equivalent of roughly 7 million sesterces. It is nevertheless clear, particularly from the archaeological and numismatic evidence, that Roman trade with the East peaked in the first and second centuriesad,followed by subsequent decline and a limited revival in the Late Roman period.

Multiple Mobilities, Multiple Sovereignties, Multiple Speeds: Exploring Maritime Connections in the Age of Empire

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 763-766
Author(s):  
Valeska Huber
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
The Other ◽  
Global History ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The One ◽  
Indian Ocean World ◽  
Middle East Studies

What can we gain by looking at maritime spaces? Does this enable us to work towards a global history of the Middle East that moves beyond at times arbitrary geographical and disciplinary borders? In this essay I argue that maritime spaces might be particularly suitable for exploring the boundaries of Middle East studies and their interconnection with global history. By implication, the study of Middle Eastern maritime connections might be especially well fitted to develop new and more complex global histories. To make this point, a specific and perhaps unusual maritime site in the Middle East will be assessed. The Suez Canal opened in 1869 and quickly turned into a major artery of traffic between Europe on the one side, and Asia, East Africa, and Australia on the other. More importantly for our purposes, it is located at the very heart of the Middle East, where Africa and Asia, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea (and with it the Indian Ocean world), and water and desert intersect.

Regional Organizations and Geopolitics in the Indian Ocean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek McDougall
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Regional Organization ◽  
Regional Organizations ◽  
The Indian Ocean

Regional organizations in the Indian Ocean need to be understood in their geopolitical context. The sense of “regionness” in the Indian Ocean is weak. There is some focus on the oceanic region as a whole, but also on the various sectors of the ocean: northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast. India, China, and the United States are the most important of the major powers involved, with their interests and engagement extending across the whole ocean. Other extraregional powers include Japan, Russia, and the European Union (EU). Among the middle powers, the most important are France (especially in the southwest sector), Australia (southeast), South Africa (southwest), and Indonesia (northeast), with the United Kingdom also playing a role. Some Middle Eastern states (especially Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates [UAE]) are involved in the Indian Ocean because the northwest sector has a strategic significance for issues in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Then there is the “rest,” the range of Indian Ocean littoral and island states that are affected by developments in the Indian Ocean, especially in areas adjacent to their own territories. There is only one comprehensive regional organization based on the whole Indian Ocean: the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). There is also a comprehensive regional organization for the southwest sector: the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). Most of the other Indian Ocean organizations focus on different kinds of maritime activities. The more significant regional organizations affecting the Indian Ocean are those relating to the adjoining regions but with some Indian Ocean involvement. These are the organizations relating to southern and eastern Africa, the Persian/Arabian Gulf, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Arabia and the Gulf

2020 ◽  
pp. 191-215
Author(s):  
Andrew Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Islamic Society ◽  
Exhaustive List

This chapter introduces the main ways in which archaeology has been used to investigate Arabia’s past during the Islamic era. While the potential for archaeology within the peninsula cannot be overstated, logistical obstacles and political difficulties have made field research difficult, with the result that it has lagged behind that of other areas in the Middle East. However, recent initiatives in most of the states within the Arabian Peninsula have meant that this is now one of the leading areas for archaeological research into Islamic society and culture. Although the chapter mentions some major recent archaeological projects, the aim is to highlight current trajectories of research rather than provide an exhaustive list of excavation and survey sites. Particular attention has been paid to settlement types, partly to counter ideas that the region was primarily inhabited by Bedouin nomads. The chapter emphasizes different regional traditions to reflect the geographical diversity of Arabia and its connections with other regions. The maritime cultures of the Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean are particularly important in this respect and have meant that Arabia is much less isolated than its often inhospitable interior would suggest.

Genetic, morphological and acoustic differentiation of African trident bats (Rhinonycteridae: Triaenops)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela M Rossoni ◽  
Terrence C Demos ◽  
Steven M Goodman ◽  
Richard K Yego ◽  
Jessica L Mohlman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Rift Valley ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Cranial Morphology ◽  
Species Relationships ◽  
Coastal Regions ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Nuclear Introns ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Central Kenya

Abstract Rhinonycteridae (trident bats) are a small Palaeotropical family of insectivorous bats allied to Hipposideridae. Their taxonomy has been in a state of flux. Here, we use mitochondrial and nuclear sequences to evaluate species relationships, confirming the monophyly of both Triaenops and Paratriaenops. Although most Triaenops afer specimens are recovered as a group, mitochondrial analyses strongly support some Kenyan individuals as members of Triaenops persicus. Analyses of four nuclear introns (ACOX2, COPS7A, RODGI and STAT5A) strongly support the mitochondrial topology. Morphometric analysis of the skull, external morphology and echolocation calls confirm that the Triaenops from the Rift Valley in Kenya (Nakuru, Baringo and Pokot counties) are distinct from typical T. afer in coastal (Kilifi and Kwale counties) or interior (Laikipia and Makueni counties) colonies. We interpret these analyses to indicate that two species of Triaenops occur in East Africa: T. afer in coastal regions along the Indian Ocean and in the highlands of central Kenya and Ethiopia, and T. persicus in the Rift Valley of Kenya. Although they appear widely disjunct from Middle Eastern populations, Kenyan T. persicus might be more widely distributed in the Rift Valley; they are somewhat differentiated from Middle Eastern populations in terms of both cranial morphology and vocalizations.

Holocene Paleoclimates of Southern Arabia from Lacustrine Deposits of the Dhamar Highlands, Yemen

2006 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Pickens Davies
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
Lacustrine Deposits ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Southern Arabia ◽  
Moisture Conditions ◽  
New Evidence

AbstractThis paper presents new evidence from the Dhamar highlands, Yemen, of paleohydrologic response to fluctuations in Holocene climate. Stratigraphic, geochemical, and chronological analyses of highland peat and lacustrine deposits contribute to knowledge of the timing of early Holocene moisture changes on the Arabian Peninsula, providing a backdrop to understanding early cultural development in the Arabian highlands. The location of the Dhamar highlands, characterized by intermontane valleys surrounded by the highest mountains on the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent to the Indian Ocean is ideal for examining the influence of the Indian Ocean Monsoon (IOM) on the moisture history of this region. Fluctuations in the lacustrine and paleosol records of the Dhamar highlands reflect both local changes in paleohydrology and regional influences on the Holocene paleoclimatic conditions in southwest Arabia. In addition, a peat deposit with a radiocarbon age of 10,253 ± 10,560 cal yr BP documents some of the earliest Holocene high moisture conditions on the Arabian Peninsula.

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