Foreign traders were attracted by the Indonesian archipelago’s unique local products – the foremost were spices, which were used as flavorings and also to preserve food (meat in particular). Sumatera was famous for gold, pepper and benzoin (an aromatic gum valued especially by the Chinese) – but the real ‘Spice Islands’ were the tiny specks in region now known as Maluku (the Moluccas): Ternate, Tidore, islands off the coast of Halmahera, Ambon and Banda. On these islands grew nutmeg and cloves which could be used as spices and preservatives, in the manufacture of perfumes, and for medicinal purposes. By the 1st century AD Indonesian trade was firmly established with other parts of Asia, including China and India. Indian trade, the more active of the two, linked India, China and Indonesia with Greece and Rome-Ptolemy mentions the island of Indonesia in his writings as early as 165 AD.
