Regional Trade Networks By Nicole Magie Three millennia ago, complex societies were already interacting in two large regional trade networks. Then, 500 years ago they connected as one global network that still exists today. 590L Regional Trade Networks Nicole Magie

Where’d you get that shirt? Look at the tag in your shirt. Where was it made? There is a good chance it came from another country. Today, global trade is common. Long ago, though, it was a big challenge with big rewards. Trade networks spread rapidly in Era 3. Traders across ancient Afro-Eurasia and Mesoamerica carried new goods and ideas to new places.

Why did trade arise? Cities were the main reason. People wanted or needed things that they couldn’t grow or make themselves. Ancient trade networks developed to fill those needs.

Roads, Winds, and Camels: The Afro-Eurasian Network Africa, Europe, and Asia are connected. Sometimes they are referred to as Afro-Eurasia. They make up more than half the land on Earth. They are also home to most people in the world. Today, the entire planet is connected. We have airplanes, ships, and trucks. We also have the Internet. Four thousand years ago, though, life was very different. But trade networks still existed across these three continents. Goods traveled from merchant to merchant across thousands of miles like a relay race.

Afro-Eurasia’s networks were more active than other parts of the world. But why? The world’s oldest farming societies developed in Afro-Eurasia. Its geography helped trade develop. Pack animals like horses and camels were available to carry goods on land. Sailing ships moved goods across the sea.

Some regions were known for certain goods. For example, silk originally came from China. Silk cloth was beautiful and useful. It became a valuable trade good. Traders carried it across Asia to the Mediterranean Sea, both by land and sea. These routes became known as the “Silk Road.” These This handsome creature is known as the Bactrian camel. They have traders carried other goods, too. They brought cotton two humps and can carry heavy loads for long distances in most and spices from India. Gold was traded from the coast climates. By Becker1999, CC BY 2.0. of East Africa. Wine and glass were transported from Greece to China. Enslaved people were also bought and sold along this trade network.

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EUROPE SCYTHIA

BLACK SEA ITALY

MEDITERRANEAN SEA PERSIA BACTRIA

CHINA

EGYPT INDIA

ETHIOPIA

Afro-Eurasian trade routes, first century CE (c. 150 CE). By WHP, CC BY-NC 4.0.

INDIAN OCEAN Take a look at the picture below. This object is called the Standard of Ur. It was created around 2400 BCE in the city of Ur in what is now Iraq. But it is made from materials not found in that region. The blue rock comes from where Afghanistan is today. The figures made from white shells are from the Persian Gulf. The red stone is from India. Traders brought all these materials to Ur more than 4,400 years ago.

Standard of Ur, peace panel, c. 2500 BCE. By Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Trade became a big deal in Afro-Eurasia in Era 3. It connected almost all societies there for the first time in history.

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Sharp Black Rocks: The Mesoamerican Network About 3,000 years ago, trade networks also developed in the western half of the world. The biggest of these networks was in Mesoamerica. Today, we know this region as Mexico and Central America.

Long-distance trade in the Americas required great effort. The mountains in this region were high. The rivers were not good for transportation. People there did not have pack animals, like horses. They had to carry most goods on their own backs. But large trade networks existed.

Like in Afro-Eurasia, traders mainly moved between big cities. Such cities often developed near valuable resources. Obsidian was one such resource. People in Mesoamerica used this black volcanic rock to make tools and weapons. Teotihuacan was near two big obsidian mines. This resource made the city wealthy and powerful.

In Teotihuacan, impressive buildings like the Pyramid of the Sun on the far left and those surrounding it, demonstrate the complexity of these societies that were located along these Mesoamerican trade networks. By Rene Trohs - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Traders in the region carried obsidian to where it wasn’t as common. They also traded luxury goods. Mayan merchants moved up and down the Yucatan Peninsula. They traded cacao, jade, and salt. Zapotec merchants traded on the Pacific Coast. They were known for their cloth and pottery.

Traders also transported ideas. Sometimes they introduced new cultural practices to new places.

Obsidian is a volcanic glass that forms into a black rock. It was useful for many things, especially tools and weapons. Jade is a greenish mineral that is often used for jewelry, decorative pieces, and other artwork. From left to right: 1) Obsidian sample collected near Monte Pilato, Lipari Island Aeolian Islands, Sicily. By Ji-ElleIt, CC BY-SA 3.0. 2) Obsidian arrowhead, public domain. 3) Jadestien, by Immanuel Giel, CC BY-SA 3.0. 4) Jade sculpture, by David Mateos García, CC BY 2.0. 4 Regional Trade Networks Nicole Magie

The impact of networks on communities Rulers encouraged trade. It brought wealth and resources to their kingdoms. They built roads to make trade easier. Their armies protected merchants from bandits. As a result, trade networks rapidly grew in Era 3. They connected distant societies like never before.

Alexander the Great’s empire and route. By Generic Mapping Tools, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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Sources Beaujard, Philippe. “From Three Possible Iron-Age World-Systems to a Single Afro-Eurasian World-System.” Journal of World History 21, no. 1 (2010): 1-43. Benjamin, Craig, ed. The Cambridge World History. Vol. 4. The Cambridge World History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Chase-Dunn, Christopher and Thomas D. Hall. Rise and Demise: Comparing World-Systems. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997. Christian, David. “Silk Roads or Steppe Roads? The Silk Roads in World History.” Journal of World History 11, no. 1 (2000): 1-26. Pool, Christopher. Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Schoff, Wilfred H. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1912). Digitized by Lance Jenott, 2004. https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/ periplus/periplus.html Nicole Magie Nicole Magie is an Assistant Professor at Olivet College in Michigan. She is also a long-time member of the World History Association and the Midwest World History Association, and an associate editor for World History Connected. Image credits Cover: Erythraei Sive Rubri Maris Periplus, From: “Theatrum orbis terrarum” by Abraham Ortelius (Antwerp, 1603), 1603. © Photo by Abraham Ortelius / Royal Geographical Society / Getty Images Bactrian camels have two humps, and can carry heavy loads for long distances in most climates. By Becker1999, CC BY 2.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64236677 Afro-Eurasian trade routes, first century CE (c. 150 CE). By WHP, CC BY-NC 4.0. Standard of Ur, peace panel, c. 2500 BCE. By Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Standard_of_ur_ peace_2013.JPG In Teotihuacan, impressive buildings like the Pyramid of the Sun on the far left and those surrounding it, demonstrate the complexity of these societies that were located along these Mesoamerican trade networks. By Rene Trohs - Own work, CC BY- SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan#/media/File:Panoramic_view_of_Teotihuacan.jpg Obsidian sample collected near Monte Pilato, Lipari Island (Aeolian Islands, Sicily). By Ji-ElleIt, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons. wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15527635 Obsidian arrowhead, public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=589231 Jadestien, by Immanuel Giel, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139195 Jade sculpture, by David Mateos García, CC BY 2.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84653 Alexander the Great’s empire and route. By Generic Mapping Tools, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:MacedonEmpire.jpg

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