Trade route systems, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean

Essay by heymanHigh School, 10th gradeA+, May 2006

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There was much diversity between Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean trade. For example, in the Mediterranean, sailors used square sails and long banks oars to maneuver among the sea's many islands. But the traders of the Indian Ocean built sails the shape of triangles and did not use oars. Another example would be that the Indian Ocean ship builders would make the ships by piercing and tying planks of wood and then caulking them together with bitumen. The shipbuilders of the Mediterranean, however, simply nailed the planks to form their ships.

In the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean trade there was great difference in the developments of ship building. For example, in the Mediterranean, sailors used square sails and long banks oars to maneuver among the sea's many islands. This is important because these traders needed oars to get around and bigger sails to catch more wind. This shows that these traders had problems getting around on just wind so they used oars to aid them.

However in the Indian Ocean trading system the traders built sails the shape of triangles and did not use oars. They used sleeker sails to move faster and required no oars because of the strong winds. This shows that unlike the Mediterranean, they had an abundance of wind and didn't need help moving from point to point. As a result, the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean trade differed in their techniques of ship building for the best performance.

There were also the different kind of ways that each built they're ships with. For example, the Indian Ocean ship builders would make the ships by piercing and tying planks of wood and then caulking them together with bitumen. These traders, as we can see, made strong ships to withstand more beating in rough seas.