Latest / The Srivijaya Empire: Southeast Asia's Forgotten Maritime Superpower — Fexingo History
Srivijaya's Camphor and the Barus Trade
In this episode of the Fexingo History podcast, Lucas and Luna delve into a specific but vital slice of Srivijaya's maritime empire: the camphor trade from the Sumatran highlands. While earlier episodes covered Srivijaya's coinage, fire lances, and port systems, here they focus on the economic engine of a single luxury commodity. Camphor—a crystalline substance from the Dryobalanops aromatica tree—was worth its weight in silver in medieval China, used in medicine, embalming, and ink. Lucas explains how Srivijayan shahbandars controlled the trade from the port of Barus on the west…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.