Textiles in Indian Ocean Societies (Indian Ocean)

[...]... presented here has its origin in a workshop entitled Textiles in the Indian Ocean held at St Antony’s College, Oxford, in March 1999 This meeting was the third in a series on ‘The Indian Ocean: trans-regional creation of societies and cultures’, convened by David Parkin and myself Each workshop investigates a topic that seems of particular relevance to societies in the wider Indian Ocean region, from East... significance in India and societies around the Indian Ocean; in her survey she makes use of significant new dating of actual textiles surviving She also examines the evidence for trade mechanisms, such as the role of the textile merchants as distinct from the producer For the Indian market, as well as the international trade in Indian cloth, it is quite certain that the weaver or textile printer had no influence... being a prime example (Prakash 1997:239) It is being argued in this paper that the ancient trading network in the Indian Ocean functioned within a different background from that of the later European system The interest groups and consumption centres were located within the Indian Ocean region and not outside it The commodities involved in the Indian Ocean trade were by no means limited to luxuries Instead... the Indian Ocean It is suggested in the first section that the Indian Ocean Far-flung fabrics – Indian textiles in ancient maritime trade 17 Figure 2.1 Indian block-printed cotton fragment, Gujarat, traded to Egypt, radiocarbon dated to tenth century AD Ashmolean Museum Oxford, Newberry Collection (EA 1990.250) trading system was radically transformed as a result of increasing European interest in the... last decade, textiles and dress have been the focus of such detailed studies, many of them in edited volumes that look at specific topics, such as gender, status, personal and social power, and ethnic identity.5 Textiles in Indian ocean societies 4 Textiles and mobility Why are textiles a particularly interesting subject of investigation for the Indian Ocean region? When discussing textiles in this maritime... in Indian ocean societies 20 network possible This pattern continued into the historical period, albeit with fluctuating fortunes, as also shifts and changes in routes Around the beginning of the Common Era, this network had expanded to include large parts of the western Indian Ocean A range of communities participated in this, such as the Nabataeans, Sabaeans, Homerites and Arabs, in addition to Indians... 2.2 Indian block-printed cotton textile, Gujarat, traded to Sulawesi, eastern Indonesia, radiocarbon dated AD 1400 ± 40 Ashmolean Museum Oxford (EA 1995.61) Indian Ocean trade in the early period Conventional studies have tended to categorise maritime trade in the Indian Ocean in the pre-colonial period into national networks, such as Roman trade, Arab trade and European trade in the western Indian Ocean, ... ceremonies.8 The kanga cloths of Zanzibar are inspired ultimately by Indian blockprinted textiles, and the kofia can be bought in the market in Muscat, Oman The transferability of textiles brings up a final, and possibly most interesting, aspect As they move between cultures, they can take on new meanings We do not know the exact origin of the Indian resist-dyed textiles discussed by John Peter and Felicity... occupation and commerce in the late fourth century which appears to have continued until its final evacuation, probably in the early sixth Evidence for trade with India and, indeed, for the presence of Indians on the site, has come in the form of a graffito on a first-century-AD amphora in Tamil-Braāhmi,1 beads and pottery of South Indian origin2 and imported botanical remains including coconut, Job’s tear... fabrics – Indian textiles in ancient maritime trade Himanshu Prabha Ray It is appropriate to start with an explanation for the title of this paper In recent years there has been an increase in the corpus of dated Indian textiles either found in archaeological excavations or in museum collections, which have been subjected to radiocarbon investigation These come from archaeological sites within the Indian . here has its origin in a workshop entitled Textiles in the Indian Ocean held at St Antony’s College, Oxford, in March 1999. This meeting was the third in a series on ‘The Indian Ocean: trans-regional. Technology in the Indian Ocean Edited by David Parkin and Ruth Barnes Sufis and Scholars of the Sea Anne K. Bang Textiles in Indian Ocean Societies Edited by Ruth Barnes Frontispiece Block-printed. y0 w0 h0" alt="" Textiles in Indian Ocean Societies This book concentrates on textiles as a major commodity, and primary indicator of status, wealth and identity in Indian Ocean regions. Lavishly