Latest / Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History / The Belitung Shipwreck and the Tang-Abbasid Trade
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the Radanites and the overland routes, but there's a whole other side to this story that we haven't really touched on yet — the maritime trade that was happening at the same time, across the Indian Ocean. Luna: Oh, like the Spice Route? Lucas: Exactly, but even before the spices really took off, there was this massive exchange of goods between Tang China and the Abbasid Caliphate. And we know about it largely because of a single shipwreck that was discovered off the coast of Indonesia in 1998. Lucas: The Belitung shipwreck — named after the island it was found near — is one of the most important maritime archaeological finds of the century. Because it's a snapshot of that trade at a specific moment in time, around 830 CE. Luna: A shipwreck from that era, that's amazing. What was on it? Lucas: Well, the cargo was mostly ceramics — tens of thousands of pieces, mainly what's called Changsha ware, those green and brown glazed bowls from kilns in Hunan province. But there were also gold cups, silver ingots, and even some bronze mirrors. Lucas: What's really fascinating is the ship itself. It was built in the Arabian style — sewn together with coconut fiber, not nailed — which is typical of the dhows that sailed from the Persian Gulf. So you have an Arab ship, crewed probably by Arab or Persian sailors, carrying a cargo that was made in China, destined for the markets of Baghdad. Luna: So it's like a floating example of globalization. Lucas: Exactly. And it wasn't just a one-off. There was a whole network of ports — from Guangzhou in the east, through the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka and the Malabar Coast, and up the Persian Gulf to places like Siraf, which was the main port for Baghdad. Lucas: The monsoon winds made this possible. Ships would leave Guangzhou in November or December, catch the northeast monsoon, and arrive at the Persian Gulf by spring. Then they'd wait for the southwest monsoon to carry them back in the summer. Luna: So it was a seasonal thing, like clockwork. Lucas: Yeah, but the Belitung wreck is special because it's the only physical evidence we have of that trade. Before it was found, all we had were written records from Arab and Chinese geographers, and a few references in chronicles. But now we have tangible proof that these ships actually made the voyage. Lucas: And it's also raised some interesting questions. For instance, the cargo included a gold cup that has an inscription mentioning an Abbasid governor — that suggests the cup was made in the Middle East, but it was found on a ship going east. So either it was being returned, or it was a personal possession of someone on board. Luna: Hmm, that's odd. Why would you bring a gold cup to China? Lucas: Maybe it was a gift, or maybe it was meant to be sold. But it's a reminder that trade wasn't just one-way. There were also glassware, textiles, and spices coming from the west, though they might not have survived the voyage as well as ceramics. Lucas: One of the most intriguing things about the Belitung wreck is that we have no written record of its voyage. We don't know the ship's name, its captain, or exactly what happened. It sank for reasons we can only guess — a storm, hitting a reef, maybe overloading. Luna: So it's a mystery ship, then. Lucas: In a way. But even without a name, it tells us a lot about the technology and the scale of this trade. And it's also sparked a huge debate about whether it was actually a 'Tang' ship or an 'Arab' ship, and what that tells us about cultural exchange. Lucas: There's also the question of the so-called 'Taiping Shiji' — a Chinese manuscript that describes a sea route to the Persian Gulf. Some scholars think it might be a guide for merchant ships like this one, while others think it's a fictional account. The Belitung wreck adds weight to the idea that such voyages were real and established. Luna: So it's like a puzzle piece that completes a picture we only had in fragments. Lucas: Exactly. And you know, thinking about all this — it really makes you appreciate how connected the world was, even a thousand years ago. We tend to think of globalization as a modern thing, but the Indian Ocean was a superhighway of trade and ideas. Lucas: And that's something worth supporting, if you're into this kind of deep dive into history. If today's episode added something to your day, you can help keep the show going by buying me a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that means a lot to us. Luna: Yeah, and it keeps the episodes ad-free and independent. Lucas: So, back to the wreck. One of the most poignant things about it is that we have these beautiful bowls, some of them with poems written in calligraphy — little glimpses of everyday life in Tang China. Luna: What kind of poems? Lucas: Things like 'a moon over the mountain,' or 'alone in a boat on the river' — simple verses that were probably mass-produced for export, but they show that even ordinary goods carried a bit of culture along with them. Lucas: And then there's the location of the wreck itself. It was found just off the coast of Belitung, which is between Sumatra and Borneo. That's right along the route from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, so it wasn't far off course — maybe just a navigational error or bad weather. Lucas: The salvage operation was controversial — a commercial company excavated the site in a hurry, and some archaeologists argue it destroyed valuable data. But without it, we might not have any of this. It's a trade-off between preservation and knowledge. Luna: That's a tough call. Lucas: It is. And it's still being debated. But the artifacts themselves are now in the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, which at least makes them accessible to the public. Lucas: In the end, the Belitung shipwreck is a powerful reminder that trade routes weren't just lines on a map. They were lifelines that connected people, ideas, and goods across vast distances. And every now and then, we get a glimpse of that world — not through a chronicle, but through a ship that never made it home. Luna: That's a beautiful way to put it.