Cradle of life, harbinger of globalisation dailynews.lk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailynews.lk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On many beaches around the Indian Ocean, keen observers may spot bits of broken pottery. Washed smooth by the ocean, these shards are in all likelihood
Exclusive content, features, opinions and comment - hand-picked by our editors, just for you.
Pick 5 of your favourite companies. Get a daily email with all the news updates on them.
Track the industry of your choice with a daily newsletter specific to that industry.
Stay on top of your investments. Track stock prices in your portfolio.
NOTE :
The monthly duration product is an auto renewal based product. Once subscribed, subject to your card issuer s permission we will charge your card/ payment instrument each month automatically and renew your subscription.
In the Annual duration product we offer both an auto renewal based product and a non auto renewal based product.
On many beaches around the Indian Ocean, keen observers may spot bits of broken pottery. Washed smooth by the ocean, these shards are in all likelihood hundreds of years old, from centres of ceramic production like the Middle Eastern Abbasid caliphate and the Chinese Ming dynasty.
Originally destined for Indian Ocean port cities, this pottery would have been purchased by merchant elites accustomed to eating off fine plates. These traders formed part of vast commercial networks that crisscrossed the Indian Ocean arena and beyond, from East Africa to Indonesia, the Middle East and China.
These trade networks stretched back thousands of years, powered by the monsoon winds. Reversing direction in different seasons, these winds have long shaped the rhythm of life around the ocean, bringing rain to farmers, filling the sails of dhows and enabling trade between different ecological zones.