Imagine…

You are living during a time when there is no internet or telephone

YOU are the merchants!!

Mapping the Indian Ocean Trade Route

Select Groups

East Asia/Guangzhou - Short, Hartberger, Burns,

Southeast Asia/Malacca - Garcia, Edwards, Carter

South Asia/Calicut - Bradley, Jones, Bobbitt

Southwest Asia/Hormuz - Bowman, McFalls, Bell

Southwest Asia/Aden - Hardee, Graybill, Carlin

East Africa/Kilwa - Shumaker, Smith, Overstreet, Nester

Use your map to strategize a route!

Write notes to merchants in other cities inviting them to meet you in a location to trade.
This might be an intermediate location between the original city of both merchants.
The note should include the items they desire as well as what they have to trade in return for those items as well as which round the merchants plan to conduct the trade.

Traveling Merchants (2)

Step 1: Are we buying what you are selling?

Create a poster advertising the goods and enticing features of your city.

For example, merchants might emphasize the rich culture the city offers or the security or lodgings the area provides for travelers.

This is especially important if there is more than one city in the region that has the same goods and is in competition (e.g., Kilwa and Mombasa in East Africa).
The poster should include:

§ The items for sale

§ Technologies that merchants will gain by coming to port city

§ The dominant belief system(s) in port city

Port City Merchants (1 -2)

Step 1: Are we buying what you are selling?