Chinese Ceramic Exchange in the Maldives and the Indian Ocean, AD 900-1900

Abstract

As one of the major nodes in the maritime route between ancient China and the Islamic world, the Maldives have drawn the interest of numerous archaeologists and historians due to their strategic importance in the commerce of the Indian Ocean. Archaeological surveys and excavations have found Chinese ceramics dated from the Tang through Qing dynasties in the Maldives since the 1970s. This paper first introduces the Maldives sites and uses aoristic analysis to examine changing trends in the trade of Chinese ceramics imported from the Buddhist Period to the Islamic Period. Second, it discusses the changing roles that the Maldives played in long-distance maritime trade of the Indian Ocean during 900-1900 AD.