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What goods were traded along this route? - Silk Road

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What goods were traded along this route? - Silk Road

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There were many goods traded along the Silk Road. Some of these goods include: silk, horses, paper, spices, jade, glassware, furs, slaves, and much more. Something such as silk was traded because it was used to make clothes, ritual banners, and canvases, and was even used as a currency in the Tang Dynasty and was collected as a form of tax. Many other goods and luxuries were traded along the silk roads for many different reasons. Also, different goods were traded in certain parts of the Silk Road. For example, Turfan and Kashgar traded grapes, raisins, wine, cotton, dyes, pack animals, tea, dried fruit, and medicinal herbs, while Bahgdad traded things such as dates, nuts, dyes, and lapis lazuli.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/news/silk-road-trade-goods

https://asiasociety.org/trade-along-silk-roads#:~:text=Chang'an%20%2D%20silk%2C%20chrysanthemums,%E2%80%A2

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The Silk Road wasn't a single route, but rather a vibrant trade network that crisscrossed central Eurasia for centuries, bringing far-flung cultures into contact. Traveling by camel and horseback, merchants, nomads, missionaries, warriors and diplomats not only exchanged exotic goods, but transferred knowledge, technology, medicine and religious beliefs that reshaped ancient civilizations.

The term "silk road" was coined in 1877 by Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen, a German geographer, who focused on the flourishing silk trade between the Chinese Han Empire (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) and Rome. But modern scholars recognize that the Silk Road (or Silk Roads) continued to enable cross-continental trade until large-scale maritime trade replaced overland caravans in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Here are eight of the most important trade goods that fueled centuries of Silk Road cultural exchange:

1. Silk

It's called the Silk Road for a reason. Silk, first produced in China as early as 3,000 B.C., was the ideal overland trade item for merchant and diplomatic caravans that may have traveled thousands of miles to reach their destinations, says Xin Wen, a historian of medieval China and Inner Asia at Princeton University.

"Your carrying capacity was very limited, so you brought whatever was most valuable, but also the lightest," says Wen, whose upcoming book is titled The King's Road: Diplomatic Travelers and the Making of the Silk Road in Eastern Eurasia, 850-1000. "Not only does silk fit these characteristics exactly-high value, low weight-but it's also extremely versatile."

The Roman elite prized Chinese silk as a luxuriously thin textile, and later, when silk-making technology was brought to the Mediterranean, artisans in Damascus created the reversible woven silk textile known as damask.

But silk was more than clothing, says Wen. In Buddhist cultures it was made into ritual banners or used as a canvas for paintings. In the important Silk Road settlement of Turfan in Eastern China, silk was used as currency, writes historian Valerie Hansen, and in the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 A.C.), silk was collected as a form of tax.

2. Horses

Patrick Aventurier/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Horses were first domesticated in the steppes of Central Asia around 3700 B.C. and transported nomadic tribes that hunted and raided across vast territories that bordered China, India, Persia and the Mediterranean. Once the horse was introduced into agrarian societies, it became a sought-after tool for transport, cultivation and cavalry, writes historian James Millward in Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction.

The silk-for-horse trade was one of the most important and long-lasting exchanges on the Silk Road. Chinese merchants and officials traded bolts of silk for well-bred horses from the Mongolian steppes and Tibetan plateau. In turn, nomad elites prized the silk for the status it conferred or the additional goods it could buy.

Wen says that horses, by providing their own transportation, were the ultimate high-value, low-weight commodity on the Silk Road, and were "a very unique luxury item for the elite of the Eurasian world."

It's not surprising that the famous tomb of the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (259-210 B.C.) not only contains 8,000 terra cotta warriors, but also lifelike statues of 520 chariot horses and 150 cavalry horses.

3. Paper

Paper, invented in China in the second century A.C., first spread throughout Asia with the dissemination of Buddhism. In 751, paper was introduced to the Islamic world when Arab forces clashed with the Tang Dynasty at the Battle of Talas. The Caliph Harun al-Rashid built a paper mill in Baghdad that introduced paper-making to Egypt, North Africa and Spain, where paper finally reached Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries, writes Millward.

On the Silk Road, travelers carried paper documents that served as passports to cross nomadic lands or spend the night at a caravansary, a Silk Road oasis. But the most important function of paper along the Silk Road was that it was bound into texts and books that transmitted entirely new systems of thought, especially religion.

"It's not a coincidence that Buddhism spread to China around the same time that paper became prevalent in the region," says Wen. "Same with Manichaeism and Zoroastrianism. One of the central significances of the Silk Road is that it served as a channel for the spread of different ideas and cultural interactions, and much of that relied on paper."

4. Spices

Leemage/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Spices from East and South Asia, like cinnamon from Sri Lanka and cassia from China, were exotic and coveted trade items, but they didn't typically travel the overland routes of the Silk Road. Instead, spices were mainly transported along an ancient maritime Silk Road that linked port cities from Indonesia westward through India and the Arabian Peninsula.

Across the Silk Road, spices were valued for their use in cooking, but also for religious ceremonies and as medicine. And unlike silk, which could be produced wherever silk worms could be kept alive, many spices were derived from plants that only grew in very specific environments.

"That means there's a clearer origin for spice than for some of the other luxury items, which adds to their value," says Wen.

5. Jade

Millennia before there was such a thing as the Silk Road, China traded with its western neighbors along the so-called Jade Road.

Jade, the crystalline-green gemstone, was central to Chinese ritual culture. When jade supplies ran low in the 5th millennium B.C., it was necessary for China to establish trade relations with western neighbors like the ancient Iranian Kingdom of Khotan, whose rivers were rich with hunks of nephrite jade, the best variety of jade for carving intricate figurines and jewelry. The jade trade to China flourished throughout the Silk Road period, as did trade in other semi-precious gems like pearls.

6. Glassware

Westerners often assume that most Silk Road goods traveled from the exotic Far East westward to the Mediterranean and Europe, but Silk Road trade went in all directions. For example, archeologists excavating burial mounds in China, Korea, Thailand and the Philippines have found Roman glassware among the prized possessions of the Asian elite. The distinct type of soda-lime glass made in Rome and fashioned into vases and goblets would have eagerly been traded for silk, which Romans were obsessed with.

7. Furs

The taiga is the vast stretch of evergreen forest that runs through Siberia in Eurasia and continues into Canada in North America. In the days of the Silk Road, writes Millward, the taiga attracted hardy bands of trappers who harvested fox, sable, mink, beaver and ermine pelts. This northern "fur road" supplied luxurious coats and hats to Chinese dynasties and other Eurasian elites. Millward writes that Genghis Khan cemented one of his earliest political alliances with a gift of a sable coat. By the 17th century, in the waning days of the Silk Road, rulers from the Chinese Qing Dynasty could buy furs from Siberian trappers.

8. Slaves

Enslaved people were a tragically common "trade good" along the Silk Road. Raiding armies would take captives and sell them to private traders who would find buyers in far-flung ports and capitals from Dublin in the West to Shandong in Eastern China, writes Silk Road historian Susan Whitfield. The slaves became servants, entertainers and eunuchs for royal courts.

Wen says that while enslavement was pervasive in premodern Eurasia along the Silk Road, none of these kingdoms or societies could be classified as "slave-based" in the same way that the African slave trade operated in the New World.

"Slaves were more like an ornament of the life of the Silk Road elite," says Wen, "Not a major economic source."

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The Silk Road: 8 Goods Traded Along the Ancient Network

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The Silk Road wasn't a single route, but rather a vibrant trade network that crisscrossed central Eurasia for centuries, bringing far-flung cultures into contact. Traveling by camel and horseback, merchants, nomads, missionaries, warriors and diplomats not only exchanged exotic goods, but transferred knowledge, technology, medicine and religious beliefs that reshaped ancient civilizations.

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What ideas were traded along this route? - Silk Road

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What ideas were traded along this route? - Silk Road

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Many ideas were traded along the Silk Road, including religion, culture, philosophy, and language. For example, "Buddhism spread from India into northern Asia, Mongolia, and China, whilst Christianity and Islam emerged and were disseminated by trade, pilgrims, and military conquest." Part of religion is the culture that comes with it that also automatically spreads with the religion. Not only that, but as people from empires traveled along the Silk Road to other empires, they spread their language, ideas (philosiphies), and innovations (such as paper, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass.)

Sources:

https://asiasociety.org/education/silk-road#:~:text=Writing%20and%20Technology%20in%20China,internet%20continues%20to%20change%20China.

https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/themes/religion-and-spirituality?page=7#:~:text=Buddhism%20spread%20from%20India%20into,civilizations%20along%20the%20Silk%20Routes.

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At the initiative of UNESCO and with the support of its former Director General, Mr Federico Mayor (1987-1999), the International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations was established by an agreement concluded on 16 September 1998 between the governments of Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Mongolia and Turkey.

In Nepalese Tarai, the area where the Buddha was born and grew up, several excavations were launched in the late nineteenth century. They have revealed sand stone pillars and stupas which were erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in the 3 rd century BC. The distribution of the pillars and stupas indicates that the sites where they were discovered - Lumbini, Kapilavastu, Mahavana, Kshemavati, Shobhavati and Ramagrama - were connected to the North Indian Silk Route.

The island of Sri Lanka was a popular stopover for merchants because of its strategically advantageous position on various oceanic trade routes, its beautiful scenery and the valuable goods that could be found there, such as pearls and precious stones. It was also a meeting place for sailors, adventurers and pilgrims from different cultural backgrounds. Arab merchants came to Sri Lanka even in pre-Christian times, and their influence became more and more important after the birth of Islam, when Arab settlements spread all over the island.

While there an overlapping of cultures of East and West via the Silk Routes usually occurred throughout history, the peninsula of Korea, however, restricted itself to mostly 'absorbing' cultural and artistic influences from far and wide and few traces of Korean culture have been found in Central Asia. Evidence of this cultural and material appropriation can be found in several tumuli, including buckled belts with a Scythian zoomorphic influence, Roman and Germanic glassware, central-Asian inspired metalwork, Chinese-inspired painting techniques.

In spite of its difficulty, the study of orally transmitted traditions, such as sung epics, provides fascinating insight into a society's culture. On the island of Palawan and among the Buryats living in the forests of Siberia, epics mostly dealt with the quest for marriage partners, acts of heroism and the overcoming of conflicts which led to social harmony and cohesion. In both these cultures, which were based on hunting and the exchange of goods, the epics were sung by shaman-bards.

Oman was one of the earliest communities to adopt Islam, in the lifetime of the Prophet Mohamed himself, and went on to carry the tolerant, peaceful message of Ibadhi Islam wherever its trading interests or cultural curiosity lured it. Omani merchants introduced Islam to East Africa, to the Malaysian archipelago, the Indian sub-continent and beyond.

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Religion and Spirituality | Silk Roads Programme

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At the initiative of UNESCO and with the support of its former Director General, Mr Federico Mayor (1987-1999), the International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations was established by an agreement concluded on 16 September 1998 between the governments of Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Mongolia and Turkey.

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Who was harmed by this trade? - Silk Road

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Who was harmed by this trade? - Silk Road

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The Silk Road harmed many people. This is because "it enabled one of the first great pandemics, the plague known as the Black Death, to spread along its route and eventually reach the edge of Europe, where it killed more than 50 million people between 1346 and 1352." One of the most believed reasons for how the Silk Road spread the Black Death is that there were flea-ridden rats on boats and fleas on the bodies and clothes of travelers. The bacteria that was in the fleas, Yersinia pestis, could be very deadly if left untreated. Obviously, it was untreated for many as the concept of quarantining didn't exist. The Black Death started decreasing when people started to realize if they iscolated people with the disease, they couldn't spread it to others.

Srouces:

https://www.history.com/news/silk-road-black-death

https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/spread-disease-along-silk-roads#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20often,with%20infected%20merchants%20and%20travellers.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21590-bubonic-plague

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3559034/

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How the Black Death Spread Along the Silk Road | HISTORY

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The Silk Road was a vital trading route connecting East and West—but it also became a conduit for one of history’s deadliest pandemics.

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Who benefited from this trade? - Silk Road

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Who benefited from this trade? - Silk Road

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Many people and places benefited from trading on the Silk Road. Some of these people/places include merchants, cities, the Roman Empire, the Kushan Empire, and China. It benefited merchants because it made them gain more wealth when they sold goods for more than the value that they bought/traded them for. Cities along the Silk Road not only benefited economically but also culturally. "Towns along the route grew into multicultural cities. The exchange of information gave rise to new technologies and innovations that would change the world." The Roman Empire benefited from the Silk Road because when silk got introduced to the Roman Empire in the 1st century BCE, it became an extremely popular luxury that was desired by many. The Silk Road allowed citizens of the Roman Empire to acquire silk, as well as other goods and luxuries. The Silk Road benefited the Kushan Empirein many ways. One of the ways is that it allowed them to trade for goods such as painted glass, bronze, and ivory from other regions. It also benefited them because the Silk Road provided a valuable source of tax revenue for the Kushan Empire. It also benefited them in many other ways in religion, maritime trade, and peace. Finally, the Silk Road benefited China because "the Silk Road linked China with the West, that carried goods and ideas between the two great civilizations of Rome and China. Silk went westward, and wools, gold, and silver went east. China also received Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism (from India) via the Silk Road." Obviously, more people and places benefited from trading in the Silk Road, but these are some of the main ones.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfe-eNq-Qyg&t=460s

https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/about-silk-roads#:~:text=This%20process%20enriched%20not%20only,place%20along%20the%20Silk%20Roads.

https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/sites/default/files/knowledge-bank-article/the%20opening%20of%20the%20silk%20route.pdf

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Silk-Road-trade-route

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The vast trade networks of the Silk Roads carried more than just merchandise and precious commodities. In fact, the constant movement and mixing of populations brought about the widespread transmission of knowledge, ideas, cultures and beliefs, which had a profound impact on the history and civilizations of the Eurasian peoples. Travellers along the Silk Roads were attracted not only by trade but also by the intellectual and cultural exchange taking place in cities along the Silk Roads, many of which developed into hubs of culture and learning. Science, arts and literature, as well as crafts and technologies were thus shared and disseminated into societies along the lengths of these routes, and in this way, languages, religions, and cultures developed and influenced one another.

Silk is a textile of ancient Chinese origin woven from the protein fibre produced by the silkworm as it makes its cocoon. The cultivation of silkworms for the process of making silk, known as sericulture, was, according to Chinese tradition, developed sometime around the year 2,700 BCE. Regarded as an extremely high value product, silk was reserved for the exclusive usage of the Chinese imperial court for the making of cloths, drapes, banners, and other items of prestige. Its production technique was a fiercely guarded secret within China for some 3,000 years, with imperial decrees sentencing to death anyone who revealed to a foreigner the process of its production. Tombs in Hubei province dating from the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE contain the first complete silk garments as well as outstanding examples of silk work, including brocade, gauze and embroidered silk.

At some point during the 1st century BCE, silk was introduced to the Roman Empire, where it was considered an exotic luxury that became extremely popular, with imperial edicts being issued to control prices. Silks popularity continued throughout the Middle Ages, with detailed Byzantine regulations for the manufacture of silk clothes, illustrating its importance as a quintessentially royal fabric and an important source of revenue for the crown. Additionally, the needs of the Byzantine Church for silk garments and hangings were substantial. This luxury item was thus one of the early impetuses for the development of trading routes from Europe to the Far East.

Knowledge about silk production was very valuable and, despite the efforts of the Chinese emperor to keep it a closely guarded secret, it did eventually spread beyond China, first to India and Japan, then to the Persian Empire and finally to the west in the 6th century CE. This was described by the historian Procopius, writing in the 6th century:

"About the same time [circa. 550 CE] there came from India certain monks; and when they had satisfied Emperor Justinian Augustus that the Romans should no longer buy silk from the Persians, they promised the emperor in an interview that they would provide the materials for making silk so that never should the Romans seek business of this kind from their enemy the Persians, or from any other people whatsoever. They said that they were formerly in Serinda, which they call the region frequented by the people of the Indies, and there they learned perfectly the art of making silk. Moreover, to the emperor who plied them with many questions as to whether he might have the secret, the monks replied that certain worms were manufacturers of silk, nature itself forcing them to keep always at work; the worms could certainly not be brought here alive, but they could be grown easily and without difficulty; the eggs of single hatchings are innumerable; as soon as they are laid men cover them with dung and keep them warm for as long as it is necessary so that they produce insects. When they had announced these tidings, led on by liberal promises of the emperor to prove the fact, they returned to India. When they had brought the eggs to Byzantium, the method having been learned, as I have said, they changed them by metamorphosis into worms which feed on the leaves of mulberry. Thus began the art of making silk from that time on in the Roman Empire."

Beyond Silk: a diversity of routes and cargos

These routes developed over time according to shifting geopolitical contexts throughout history. For example, merchants from the Roman Empire would try to avoid crossing the territory of the Parthians, Rome's enemies, and therefore took routes to the north instead, across the Caucasus region and over the Caspian Sea. Similarly, whilst extensive trade took place over the network of rivers that crossed the Central Asian steppes in the early Middle Ages, their water levels rose and fell, and sometimes rivers dried up altogether, and trade routes shifted accordingly.

The history of maritime routes can be traced back thousands of years, to links between the Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilization. The early Middle Ages saw an expansion of this network, as sailors from the Arabian Peninsula forged new trading routes across the Arabian Sea and into the Indian Ocean. Indeed, maritime trading links were established between Arabia and China from as early as the 8th century CE. Technological advances in the science of navigation, in astronomy, and also in the techniques of ship building, combined to make long-distance sea travel increasingly practical. Lively coastal cities grew up around the most frequently visited ports along these routes, such as Zanzibar, Alexandria, Muscat, and Goa, and these cities became wealthy centres for the exchange of goods, ideas, languages and beliefs, with large markets and continually changing populations of merchants and sailors.

The map above illustrates the great variety of routes that were available to merchants transporting a wide range of goods and travelling from different parts of the world, by both land and sea. Most often, individual merchant caravans would cover specific sections of the routes, pausing to rest and replenish supplies, or stopping altogether and selling on their cargos at points throughout the length of the roads, leading to the growth of lively trading cities and ports. The Silk Roads were dynamic and porous; goods were traded with local populations throughout, and local products were added into merchants' cargos. This process enriched not only the merchants' material wealth and the variety of their cargos, but also allowed for exchanges of culture, language and ideas to take place along the Silk Roads.

Routes of Dialogue

Despite the Silk Roads history as routes of trade, the man who is often credited with founding them by opening up the first route from China to the West in the 2nd century BC, General Zhang Qian, was actually sent on a diplomatic mission rather than one motivated by trading Sent to the West in 139 BCE by the Han Emperor Wudi to ensure alliances against Chinas enemies the Xingnu, Zhang Qian was ultimately captured and imprisoned by them. Thirteen years later he escaped and made his way back to China. Pleased with the wealth of detail and accuracy of his reports, the emperor then sent Zhang Qian on another mission in 119 BCE to visit several neighbouring peoples, establishing early routes from China to Central Asia.

These routes were also fundamental in the dissemination of religions throughout Eurasia. Buddhism is one example of a religion that travelled the Silk Roads, with Buddhist art and shrines being found as far apart as Bamiyan in Afghanistan, Mount Wutai in China, and Borobudur in Indonesia. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism and Manicheism spread in the same way, as travellers absorbed the cultures they encountered and then carried them back to their homelands with them. Thus, for example, Hinduism and subsequently Islam were introduced into Indonesia and Malaysia by Silk Roads merchants travelling the maritime trade routes from the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula.

Travelling the Silk Roads

As trade routes developed and became more lucrative, caravanserais became more of a necessity, and their construction intensified across Central Asia from the 10th century onwards, continuing until as late as the 19th century. This resulted in a network of caravanserais that stretched from China to the Indian subcontinent, Iranian Plateau, the Caucasus, Turkey, and as far as North Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe, many of which still stand today.

Maritime traders had different challenges to face on their lengthy journeys. The development of sailing technology, and in particular of ship-building knowledge, increased the safety of sea travel throughout the Middle Ages. Ports grew up on coasts along these maritime trading routes, providing vital opportunities for merchants not only to trade and disembark, but also to take on fresh water supplies, as one of the greatest threats to sailors in the Middle Ages was a lack of available drinking water. Pirates were another risk faced by all merchant ships along the maritime Silk Roads, as their lucrative cargos made them attractive targets.

The legacy of the Silk Roads

Today, many historic buildings and monuments still stand, marking the passage of the Silk Roads through caravanserais, ports and cities. However, the long-standing and ongoing legacy of this remarkable network is reflected in the many distinct but interconnected cultures, languages, customs and religions that have developed over millennia along these routes. The passage of merchants and travellers of many different nationalities resulted not only in commercial exchange but in a continuous and widespread process of cultural interaction. As such, from their early, exploratory origins, the Silk Roads developed to become a driving force in the formation of diverse societies across Eurasia and far beyond.

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The vast trade networks of the Silk Roads carried more than just merchandise and precious commodities. In fact, the constant movement and mixing of populations brought about the widespread transmission of knowledge, ideas, cultures and beliefs, which had a profound impact on the history and civilizations of the Eurasian peoples.

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What maritime or land-based empires influenced or contributed to this trade? How did they impact the trade?  - Silk Road

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What maritime or land-based empires influenced or contributed to this trade? How did they impact the trade?  - Silk Road

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Many maritime or land-based empires influenced and contributed to the Silk Road. Some of these empires included China, the Roman Empire, the Kushan Empire, and more. China contributed to/influenced the silk road because they were a main producer of silk. They also protected merchants and caravans traveling on the Silk Road due to their strong government and invented things such as paper and gun powder, which were main things traded on the Silk Road. The Silk Road also originated in China during the Han Dynasty. Finally, a main thing they did to contribute to/influence the Silk Road was that they helped spread many religious and scientific ideas around the globe. The Roman Empire contributed to/influenced the Silk Road because they were in high demand for silk and were a large consumer of many different goods. This created a huge market for goods that came from the East to the Silk Road. The Kushan Empire contributed to/influenced the Silk Road because they were one of the middlemen for the Silk Road as they "moved goods between Rome and China and unified the overland Silk Road between the Oxus and Ganges rivers."

Sources: https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/we-know-very-little-of-the-kushans-middlemen-of-silk-road-empire-that-gave-india-kanishka/858784/

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-massive-belt-and-road-initiative#:~:text=The%20original%20Silk%20Road%20arose,four%20thousand%20miles%20to%20Europe.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/silk-road/a/the-silk-road

https://silk-r oad.com/artl/romanenvoy.shtml

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scythian

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We know very little of the Kushans— middlemen of silk road & empire that gave India Kanishka

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In ‘The Stone Tower’, Riaz Dean blends aims to solve a 2,000-year-old riddle: Where was the Stone Tower, the lost landmark that represented the midpoint and thumping heart of the Silk Road?

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Who benefited from this trade? -Spice Trade

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Who benefited from this trade? -Spice Trade

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Who benefited from this trade? -Spice Trade

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The spice trade was a key component of economic and political change from the 15th to around the 18th century, it connected Asia, the Middle East, and Europe in a large trade. European countries such as Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and England wanted to control spice routes inorder to gain money and influence through regions and trade routes. Portugal was the first to stop Arab and Venetian "monopoly" on the spice trade and established a way by sea India, which was later followed by European countries who wanted territories in Southeast Asia. While, Asian merchants, mainly Indian and Arab traders, were key in the trade's early stages, controlling spice production and distribution. Middle Eastern traders were middlemen, making money from their control over land and sea routes that connected Asia to Europe. The European countries redid the trade by bypassing them middlemen, but the wealth from spices contributed lots to the rise of both European and Asian prosperity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_trade

https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/made-on-earth/the-flavours-that-shaped-the-world/

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What goods were traded along this route? -Spice Trade

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What goods were traded along this route? -Spice Trade

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What goods were traded along this route? -Spice Trade

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o   The spice trade route traded valuable goods like cinnamon, cassia, ginger, pepper, clove, and turmeric. These spices were highly valuable for how they were used which were food preservation, flavoring, and medical reasons. Which made them a extremely important in the trade network between many regions such as Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Southeast Asia which had the Spice Islands was the main source of many of these spices, that were traded across land and sea to be traded or sold into the European and Middle Eastern markets.

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What ideas were traded along this route? -Spice Trade

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What ideas were traded along this route? -Spice Trade

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What ideas were traded along this route? -Spice Trade

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Something more than goods that were traded on the spice trade was a place to show different ideas such as religion, science, and agricultural knowledge. Traders and travelers moved in between different regions, they spread religion, which helped the spread of Islam, Christianity, and other religions. In addition to advancements in science and tech, navigation and medicine were shared on the spice trade. Agricultural techniques and knowledge about crops were traded and they influenced the farming in regions involved in the trade. This trade of knowledge played a great role in cultural and tech advancements of countries that were connected by the spice trade.

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Who was harmed by this trade? -Spice Trade

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Who was harmed by this trade? -Spice Trade

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Who was harmed by this trade? -Spice Trade

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Indigenous people were harmed this was because the people controlling the area where the indigenous people were farming the spices. The Asian colonies were also harmed because they had competed control of the spice until the silk road was created then the European colonies dominated the spice route and almost all the spice trades, so they lost part of the economies.

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What maritime or land-based empires influenced or contributed to this trade? How did they impact the trade? 

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What maritime or land-based empires influenced or contributed to this trade? How did they impact the trade? - Spice Trade

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What maritime or land-based empires influenced or contributed to this trade? How did they impact the trade? - Spice Trade

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Some empires that influenced the spice route was the European colonies like Portugal, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Spain. Also, some of the kingdoms of south/southeast Asia had effect because of the control they had on the farmers that farmed the spice. The European colonies had more impact because they used / threatened to use military powers to gain more control of the spice.