THe Bay of Bengal Interaction Sphere (1000 BC – AD 500)

Stricto sensu, the The BBIS comprises littoral tracts surrounding the Bay of Bengal. Its hinterland includes the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent (Sri Lanka, the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh), and the western part of Southeast Asia (Burma, coastal Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java). Major land and sea routes connecting various areas of the ​‘hinterland’ passed through the Bay of Bengal.

The author’s conclusion opens new avenues for research and discussion: ​“Colonization of mainland Southeast Asia and parts of eastern India by Austroasiatic speakers and island Southeast Asia by Austronesian speakers saw the two major linguistic groups come together in the Bay of Bengal region. The Austroasiatic and Austronesian speaking people possessed abilities of a high order as agriculturists, metallurgists, foragers and sea farers. The colonising episodes were followed by trade episodes (cinnamon trade channels, cowrie exchange networks, Indo-Pacific bead distributions) in which old conduits were opened to movement of people and material fuelled by the acquisitive spirit. The exotic artefacts delineate lines of exchange. Stone and glass beads – especially Indo-Pacific beads — appear in mortuary complexes in both Austroasiatic and Austronesian zones and their distribution extends into Far East Asia. These prestige items are also to be viewed as serving a social function, linking aesthetics with status in chiefdom polities of Late Prehistoric Southeast Asia.”

Evolutive interaction, 500 BCE, 150 CE (author’s maps)