Sea Roads as a Catalyst for Change: Southeast Asia

● China

● India

● Straits of Malacca

● Malay Peninsula

● Srivijaya

● Central Java

● Palembang

By: CassidyDeagenSarahHenry

Social

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Social❖ Larger cities and states formed with the wealth collected

through commerce.❖ The Silk Roads influenced exchange in culture and

religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.❖ Because of Buddhist beliefs, social structure consisted of..

-“Chiefs” or higher powers that were responsible for all of their people.

❖ -“Monarchs” who pushed religion onto the people.❖ Indians who were employed as clerks or advisers for the

higher powers.

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Political

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× Srivijaya monarchs drew upon local beliefs that the chiefs possessed magical powers and they were also in charge of the prosperity of their people.

× The capital city of Srivijaya was Palembang, which was a very cosmopolitan place.

× The monarchs made sure to make use of ideals, imported from India, that corresponded to religious and political beliefs.

× Buddhism provided a “higher level of magic” for rulers, as well as the prestige of association with Indian civilizations.

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Political

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Interactions

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Interactions❖ Sea trade was a prevalent aspect of Southeast Asia. ❖ Malay sailors opened up sea route trade through the Straits of

Malacca.❖ Many ports were opened throughout the Malay Peninsula and

the coast of Sumatra. ❖ Merchants became attracted to the growing number of ports and

were able to transport goods produced by the local environments. ❖ Some of these included spices such as nutmeg, cloves, and mace.

Cultural

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❖ The sea trade located in Southeast Asia was a gargantuan contributor to the spread of culture.

❖ There was a great amount of cultural blending evident in the region. ❖ The Sailendra kingdom, in the middle of Java, was an agriculturally

prominent area and was closely united with Srivijaya. ❖ Between Java and Srivijaya’s cultures, many massive religious monuments

were constructed and contained many intricate carvings that depicted important spiritual scenes.

❖ The most famous spiritual monument was the Borobudur which was a colossal mountain-like structure with ten levels and a three mile walkway lined with the elaborate carvings.

Economic

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❖ The economy was flourishing in southeast asia, namely Srivijaya. Srivijaya controlled a critical point of the indian which allowed for complete dominance over everything that went through.

❖ They were able to take advantage and tax this point giving them a consistent flow of revenue.

❖ Srivijaya controlled widely sought after spices aswell like cloves, nutmeg, and mace.

❖ Srivijaya also controlled large amounts of gold from their mineral rich surroundings

Economy