Islam’s prohibition against usury fostered a system of exchange based on honour and trust that operated largely independent of governments, creating what may be called the first free market.
Merchants served as community leaders and peaceful heroes.
– David Graeber
Sunken ceramics – Show evokes medieval sea trade
By Fran Schechter. January 7, 2015 8:00 PM
Discovered in 1998 off Belitung was the wreck of a ninth-century Arab trading ship containing over 50,000 artifacts. Their restorer and owner, Singapore’s Asian Civilization Museum, has collaborated with the recently opened Aga Khan Museum on this show, which vividly illustrates the Abbasid Caliphate’s flourishing trade with Tang dynasty China at a time when Europe was a backwater.
There are precious metal artifacts, plus humble personal items indicating the crew may have included Malaysian, Arab and Chinese sailors.
Beyond the aesthetics of the individual objects, the appeal of the show is its evocation of a faraway time, a little-known era of early cultural exchange.
Discover, Explore and Learn more by reading the complete story at NOW Toronto | Art & Books | Art | Sunken ceramics
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