Long Distance Commerce Case Study

Daniel Serrato

HISTORY 111

Document and Essay Question assignment 7

1. What motivated and sustained the long-distance commerce of the Silk Roads, Sea Roads, and Sand Roads? Why did the peoples of the Eastern Hemisphere develop long-distance trade more extensively than did those of the Western Hemisphere?

One thing that I noticed that motivated the long-distance commerce of the Silk Roads, Sea Roads, and Sand Roads was the fact that the elites were desired luxury items from distant parts of the Eurasian network. Another contributing factor was the accumulation of wealth, especially among the merchants involved. Empires and smaller states that directly were benefited from the trade sustained the commerce. . Also with the invention of new technology

This is which were controlled by many pastoral peoples, for the agricultural a products and manufactured goods a of the warmer, well-watered lands of outer Eurasia. Another reason behind the emergence of the Silk Road commerce was also the construction of classical civilizations and their imperial states. These classical civilizations invaded the territory of the pastoral peoples, thus leading to the securing sections of the Silk Road and providing security for merchants and travelers. The Silk Road was then kept going for several centuries by the constant support form later states saw that also benefited from the trade. There was also a need for hard-to-find luxury items desired by the elites across Eurasia that gave the Silk Road a sustained purpose. Silk was considered a highly desired commodity across Eurasia. One reason behind this was the fact that silk was used as currency and as a means of accumulating wealth in Central Asia. It then became a symbol of high status in other parts such as China. It also became associated with the sacred expanding world religions of Buddhism and Christianity. There were various major economic, social, and cultural consequences of Silk Road commerce. Leading to the spread of new ideas and

One of the more important factors was understanding the economic power of china. China supplied for and consumed products of this trading network. They also provided technological innovations. Another factor was that there was a sudden rise of Islam and its spread across the Afro-Eurasia world. This creation of the Arab Empire brought together a political system in range of economies and cultural traditions thus providing a vast area for trade. Much like Buddhism that did for those along the Silk Road, conversion to Islam created a sense of community that among those involved thus helping to facilitate commercial many transactions. The Swahili civilization played an important role in the world of Indian Ocean commerce. They provided commercial A centers that would accumulate goods from the interior of sub-Saharan Africa and then would exchange them for products of the Indian Ocean trading network. They not only were A involved economically in this commerce. They also participated culturally in the larger Indian Ocean world. The Swahili civilization rapidly became Islamic in the