Masters of the Sea? Examining the Role of Southeast Asians in Fifteenth Century CE Southeast Asian Maritime Trade

Summary

Current historical and archaeological evidence portrays fifteenth century CE maritime trade in Southeast Asia as a complex and multi-layered landscape. A main argument centers on the factors that shaped the development of this intra-regional trade. Some scholars consider foreign entities (e.g. China and some Indian states) as the primary instruments that heavily influenced Southeast Asian socio-political and economic affairs while others promote Southeast Asian agency and contends that it is the Southeast Asians who are the main actors that drive the regional maritime economy and state development.

This paper will attempt to examine the role of Southeast Asians in the intra-regional maritime trade using archaeological data from shipwreck excavations in Thailand (Rang Kwien), Malaysia (Royal Nanhai) and the Philippines (Santa Cruz). Further, It also intends to provide original insights in the trading economy of fifteenth century Southeast Asia to enhance the maritime narrative of the period.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Cross-cultural encounters/entanglements in Island Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific

Keywords

Spatial Coverage