Silk, Spice, and All Things Nice: The Golden Age of the Indian Ocean Exchange

Description

It is 1000 CE, and the summer sun is beaming over the merchant boats that ebb and flow with the Indian Ocean winds. An unprecedented era of commerce is booming, such that a trader could be bartering Chinese silks for Swahili ivory in the ports of Kerala ruled by the Chola or Srilankan Black Pepper for Arab coffee in the Malacca Straits of Srivijaya, with no need for military protection as they chart the waves. The reliability of the Indian Ocean Exchange built and destroyed entire empires and the extent of naval prowess dominated any other on the planet. Delegates will be the trading merchants for various empires, addressing disasters and foreign influences, with the singular goal of lining the coffers of their home nation–and their own. Through the course of this committee, delegates shall prove that all empires bow to the demands of the Indian Ocean Exchange.

Chair: Sid Pisharody

Vice Chair: TBA