History and examples of thalassocracies Ancient and Classical Mediterranean The Greek list of successive thalassocracies begins from Lydians, then Pelasgians, then Thracians, then Rhodians, then Phrygians, then Cypriots, then Phoenicians, then Egyptians, then Milesians, then Lesbians, then Phocaeans, then Samians, then Spartans, then Naxians, then Eretrians, and finally Aeginetans. Since the list includes all the polities that once controlled the Eastern Mediterranean Sea exclusively, it also lists many polities that were not necessarily maritime-based or controlled maritime realms, such as Ancient Egypt and Sparta. Ancient maritime-centered or seaborne powers in the Mediterranean include Phoenicians, Athens (Dalian League), Carthage, and to a lesser degree Aegina and Rhodes. Indo-Pacific The Austronesian peoples of Maritime Southeast Asia developed the Indian Ocean's first true maritime trade network. They established trade routes with Southern India and Sri Lanka as early as 1500 BC, ushering in an exchange of material culture (like catamarans, outrigger boats, lashed-lug and sewn-plank boats, and paan) and cultigens (like coconuts, sandalwood, bananas, and sugarcane); as well as connecting the material cultures of India and China. Indonesians in particular traded in spices (mainly cinnamon and cassia) with East Africa, using catamaran and outrigger boats and sailing with the help of the Westerlies in the Indian Ocean. This trade network expanded west to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, resulting in the Austronesian colonization of Madagascar by the first half of the first millennium AD. It continued into historic times, later becoming the Maritime Silk Road. The first thalassocracies in the Indo-Pacific region began to emerge around the 2nd century AD, through the rise of emporia exploiting the prosperous trade routes between Funan and India through the Malacca Strait using advanced Austronesian sailing technologies. Numerous coastal city-states emerged, centered on trading ports built near or around river mouths which allowed easy access to goods from inland for maritime trade. These city-states established commercial networks with other trading centers in Southeast Asia and beyond. Their rulers also gradually Indianized by adopting the social structures and religions of India to consolidate their power. The thalassocratic empire of Srivijaya emerged by the 7th century through conquest and subjugation of neighboring thalassocracies. These included Melayu, Kedah, Tarumanagara, and Mataram, among others. These polities controlled the sea lanes in Southeast Asia and exploited the spice trade of the Spice Islands, as well as maritime trade-routes between India and China. Srivijaya was in turn subjugated by Singhasari around 1275, before