9781422281215

This detail from a Medieval European map shows a caravan traveling on the Silk Route. This network of trade routes made it possible for distant empires like China, Persia, and Rome to exchange goods and ideas.

storms, dust storms, flooded rivers, and roads that were lit- tle more than stony paths. Villages were far apart. Bandits on land and pirates on the sea waited to attack traders and steal their cargo. Rulers or tribes that controlled the trade routes often demanded tribute in exchange for safe passage through their lands. Added to this were cultural, religious, and language differences, disease, and wars that were some- times fought to control trade routes. Still, thousands of years ago, goods managed to travel from China across Asia to Europe. Along with the exchange of goods came an exchange of ideas and technology that formed the basis of our modern civilization.

The Origins of Trade 11