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Asian Art Calendar of Events

Thursday, March 28, 2024


Exhibition Public - Europe & Africa

Connecting continents: Indian Ocean trade and exchange

The British Museum
Great Russell Street,
London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
Nov 27, 2014 To May 31, 2015


Detail: This small display features objects showing the long and complex history of Indian Ocean trade and exchange, from ancient times to the present.

For thousands of years, the Indian Ocean has been a space through which people, objects and ideas have circulated. The navigable monsoon winds enabled merchants to travel between Africa, the Middle East and Asia, exchanging valuable commodities such as textiles, spices and ceramics. From early coastal trade between the great ancient civilisations of the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia through to the heyday of European East India Companies and to the present, the Indian Ocean has remained a dynamic economic maritime zone.

This display presents objects from across different sections of the British Museum’s collection, including a 19th-century boat from Indonesia, created entirely from cloves and a Roman necklace made from sapphires and garnets, to tell this long and fascinating history of global interaction.

Phone No.: +44 20 7323 8299
Site URL: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/connecting_continents.aspx

Model boat made of threaded cloves
Model boat made of threaded cloves
Probably from Indonesia
18th–20th century

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