Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas

The Pre-Islamic Indian Ocean

Code

722051262

Academic unit

Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas

Department

História

Credits

10

Weekly hours

3 letivas + 1 tutorial

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

a) Understand the extent to which geographical peculiarity of the Indian Ocean and maritime Asia stimulated early and
continuous exploration of the sea.
b) Differentiate between peoples and regions that were interested in the navigation and in the maritime traffic.
c) Analyze commercial strategies and hegemonic vocations developed, regionally, by successive powers that had influence
on the Western and on the East Indian Ocean, from Antiquity to the early days of Islamization.
d) Knowing the specialized literature and historiographical issues of greater importance in the context of the period and of
the subject of study.
e) Develop the capacity to communicate orally and in writting, assuming a critical perspective.

Prerequisites

None.

Subject matter

I. The Geography of the Indian Ocean
II. The interaction between the Straits, Africa and India, from Eastern Antiquity to the Roman withdrawal of the Indian Ocean
III. New influences on the Straits and the Western Indian Ocean, between the ends of the 2nd and of the 6th centuries
IV. The participation of India in the Indian Ocean traffics
V. The maritime Southeast Asia, from the increase of Indianization to the eve of Islamization

Bibliography

- MCPHERSON, Kenneth, The Indian Ocean. A History of the People and the Sea, Nova Deli, Oxford University Press, 1998.
- ROMAINS, F. de & A. Tchernia (dir.), Crossings. Early Mediterranean Contacts with India, Nova Deli, Manohar & Italian Emabassy Cultural Centre, 1997.
- HALL, Kenneth R., Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Southeast Asia, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1985.
- WOLTERS, O. W., Early Indonesian commerce. A Study of the Origins of Srivijaya, Ithaca-Nova Iorque, Cornell University Press, 1967.
- HOURANI, George F., «Trade Routes in the Pre-Islamic Era», in Arab Seafaring in the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1951, pp. 3-50.

Teaching method

Lectures play an important role in this course, though not exclusively. Students will be asked to engage actively during
classes and encouraged to debate topics of the course or to comment texts or primary sources.

Evaluation method

The structure of marks and the nature of assignments is the following: a research paper, where students will be expected to
explore primary sources (12-5 pages long; counts for 60% of the final grade) and a critical essay about an article (3-4 pages;
counts for 20% of the final grade). The oral participation of students will also be taken in account of the final grade (20%).

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