Early Singapore and Chronology

• Chapter 1 discusses how early Singapore was connected to the region and the world.

Chronology

• Chronology is the arrangement of past events in the order they occurred, starting with the first event.
• Historians arrange events in chronological order using a timeline.
• To refer to different times in history, historians divide history into different blocks or periods.
• Stone Age: Approximately 500,000 to 3300 BC
• Bronze Age: Approximately 3300 to 1300 BC
• Iron Age: Approximately 1300 to 900 BC
• BCE stands for Before Common Era.
• BCE was previously known as "BC" or "Before Christ".
• CE stands for Common Era.
• CE was previously known as "AD" or "Anno Domini".
• A year is a basic unit of time measurement for historians.
• 10 years are a decade.
• 100 years are a century.
• 1000 years are a millennium.
• Chronology is important because: It provides a context for events in history. It helps understand how events are linked to each other. It helps understand the development of ideas

Early Singapore (Temasek) as a Trading Center

• Early Singapore (Temasek) became an important trading center in the 1300s.
• One reason was geographical advantages.
• Singapore is located along the Straits of Melaka (SOM).
• SOM was the quickest route for ships sailing from China to India and beyond.
• Temasek was an entrepot for trades from the Middle East, China, and India to exchange goods.
• Singapore's location benefited from monsoon winds.
• Monsoon winds are seasonal rain-bearing winds.
• Sailing ship journeys by sea were almost entirely dependent upon wind patterns.
• Southwest monsoons occur from June to September.
• They transported traders from India to Temasek.
• Northeast monsoons occur from December to March.
• They transported traders from India to Temasek.
• Geographical advantages helped Temasek become an important trading center.
• Being the shortest route, traders could bring less supplies like food and water (cheaper).
• The risk of pirate attacks and accidents was reduced (shorter trips).
• Temasek became an important trading center because its geographical location made it a convenient location for traders traveling along the straits of Melaka.
• Traders from China and India might not be able to meet each other at Temasek.
• They could trade through middlemen in Temasek.

Middlemen in Temasek

• Middlemen collected goods from one group of traders and exchanged them for goods from another group of traders.
• Temasek became an important trading center because its geographical location made it a convenient location for traders to trade while waiting for monsoon winds to change, so they can continue their journeys.

Fall of Srivijaya

• The notes mention the fall of Srivijaya.
• Srivijaya was a powerful maritime kingdom.
• Palembang was its port in Southeast Asia.
• From the 11th century onwards, Srivijaya started to decline due to external threats.
• External threats included invasions from: The Chola kingdom of Southern India. The Siamese Kingdom (present-day Thailand). Majapahit, which was based in Java.
• Due to the fall of Palembang, the significance of Palembang as a port also declined.
• Trade shifted northward to other points in the area, such as Singapore.
• Trade between China and Southeast Asia also increased.
• This meant that Temasek benefited from the trade.
• Temasek became an important trading center.
• The fall of Srivijaya allowed Temasek to grow in popularity as a port.

Decline of Singapore

• Singapore had declined by the 15th century.
• The Melaka Sultanate grew in importance and became one of the dominant trading centers in the region.
• Melaka was situated in a convenient location for traders traveling between the Indian and South China Sea.
• Melaka provided them with a safe harbor during long voyages.
• As a result, Singapore was overshadowed by Melaka and ceased to serve its previous role as a center of trade.
• Hence, Singapore declined as an important trading center by the 15th century.
• The notes end by asking about the interest of Europeans in Singapore before 1819.

Chapter 1 explores Singapore's early connections. It Explains how historians arrange events using timelines and divide history into periods like the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Covers BCE and CE, and units like decades, centuries, and millennia.