1. The Rise of World Trade

2. Trade in the Ancient World
Rivers and oceans served as primary trade routes of the ancient world
Linked ancient empires and allowed trade to develop in Mediterranean by 1500 BC
Minoans and Phoenicians were masters of this
Greek and Romans later dominated the trade routes in the Mediterranean

3. Mediterranean Trade Routes

4. Mediterranean Trade Two types of trade Local trade – within 300 miles
Focused on grain and similar products
Long distance trade
Focused on luxury goods but included metals
Linked various parts of the Mediterranean world
Phoenicians – purple dye, papyrus
Minoans – wine, olive oil
Greeks/Romans – wine, olive oil, slaves
Britain – tin
China – silk, jade

5. Silk Road By 100 BC the first international trade route emerged
The Silk Road
Linked China, India, and the Mediterranean world
No set trade route
Composed of links
Various empires in Central Asia saw profit in protecting the route

6. Early Silk Road

7. Syncretism Trade routes also led to cultural exchange – syncretism
the joining together of ideas
Buddhist religion spread from India to SE Asia and China along the Silk Road
Spread and changed – syncretism
Incorporated new ideas with the religion
Christianity spread along the trade routes of the Mediterranean

8. Second Crisis of Civilization
Between 300 AD and 500 AD – all of the empires along the Silk Road collapsed for the same reasons
Plague
Economic problems
Civil wars
Barbarian invasions
Goths, Huns
Originated in central/east Asia
Hit empires in Europe, India, and China

9. Second Crisis of Civilization
Led to the end of international trade
Silk Road continued to exist, but in a different form

10. Indian Ocean Trade Network
Began as part of Silk Road Network
By 400 AD a trade in spices developed in SE Asia
By 800 AD this trade linked together the Indian Ocean World
Linked SE Asia, India, and East Africa

11. Indian Ocean Trade Network

12. Indian Ocean Trade Network
Spices and religion were the major trade products
Islam peacefully spread from SW Asia to Indonesia because of Arab traders - syncretism
Largest peaceful religious conversion in world history
Created a multi-racial world in E. Africa

13. Indian Ocean Trade Network
Arab traders sailed east on the monsoon winds
Sailed west on the seasonal winds
Linked SW Asia, India, SE Asia, and E Africa

14. Re-emergence of Silk Road
By 1200 a new empire arose in Asia – the Mongol Empire
Created through conquest
Largest land empire ever created
Lasted only a few decades, later broke into 4 smaller empires
Enforced law and order across Asia - allowed trade to resume
Major products were silk and porcelain

15. Mongol Empire

16. European Trade Long distance trade began to re-emerge after 1000 AD
NW Europe focused on wool production
After 1200 linked to Silk Road and Indian Ocean Trade Network

17. Problems Wealth began to go one way
Europe had no product that Asians wanted
If European wanted silk or spices, they had to pay cash
Eastern Mediterranean states dominated trade routes

18. Shifting of World Trade
1400’s – Portuguese began to search for new routes to Asia
Discovered a route around Africa in 1498
They immediately took over the Indian Ocean trade route because of gunpowder
1492 – Columbus’ voyage
Created a new trade route with Americas
Merged all routes into a true world trade system