Ancient Trade Routes

[Homo Sapiens]

My friend and I were talking about these today, and how even though popular belief holds that ancient societies were very inverted, when it is actually quite the opposite. I know of the Silk Route, the Amber Route, the Tin Route that the Carthaginians used, and the trans-Saharan caravans transporting gold, ivory and slaves. My friend also claimed there was a Cinnimon Route, across the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Madagascar. Is there any evidence to support this claim? And have I missed any other main trade routes?

[GodEmperorLeto]

Well, they weren't cosmopolitan in, say, the 19th century Parisian or contemporary NYC sense of the word. But some cities had people from far and wide buying, selling, and trading.

Many of these trade routes, however, were full of middlemen, jacking the prices up drastically. The old adage for prices is the 2/5/20 ratio. The number equals the amount the price is multiplied per distance unit over sea/river/land. So routes like the Silk Road resulted in incredibly expensive prices. A single travelling merchant often wouldn't range much further than a hundred miles or so, before selling his wares to another merchant going further in the same direction. This also helped to drive prices up for things like silk, until only incredibly wealthy Romans (and later Byzantines) could afford it, and even then, in only thin layers.*

Regardless, we've found Roman coins in ancient Indian ruins. Augustus recieved embassies from three Indian rajahs, and there were emissaries/explorers/entrepreneurs traveling between the Roman Empire and Han China during the second century. If these are the recorded trips that survive to modern times, what about the records that don't? Or even trips that weren't recorded? Indeed, it is safe to assume that the ancient world by the time of the Han and Roman Empires, was much more cosmopolitan than many believe.

Keep in mind that it would still take at least a year (maybe two) to reach Loyang (the Han capital) from Rome. It isn't like they could take the train or a 747. Distance and time were still massive inhibitors to travel. However, entrepreneurialism did create a great degree of international commerce.

*I'd like to cite a source for this factoid, but I can't find the damn article. The author is a Mz. Liu Xinru, and it is on the ancient/late antique silk trade, just in case that means anything to anybody.

[Angadil]

My friend and I were talking about these today, and how even though popular belief holds that ancient societies were very inverted, when it is actually quite the opposite. I know of the Silk Route, the Amber Route, the Tin Route that the Carthaginians used, and the trans-Saharan caravans transporting gold, ivory and slaves. My friend also claimed there was a Cinnimon Route, across the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Madagascar. Is there any evidence to support this claim? And have I missed any other main trade routes?

Yes, there is reasonably good evidence for that Cinnamon Route. There are references in some classical source or another (could look it up for you, if you are really interested) and you also have the fact that Madagascar, being so close to the African coast is actually inhabitted by peoples of Malay ancestry speaking languages of the Malay group. We'd be talking here of large flotillas of Malay outrigger canoes that would ride the monsoons for the trip.

[Teutobod II]

My friend and I were talking about these today, and how even though popular belief holds that ancient societies were very inverted, when it is actually quite the opposite. I know of the Silk Route, the Amber Route, the Tin Route that the Carthaginians used, and the trans-Saharan caravans transporting gold, ivory and slaves. My friend also claimed there was a Cinnimon Route, across the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Madagascar. Is there any evidence to support this claim? And have I missed any other main trade routes?

Salt Routes in central Europe...
several towns in Germany are still called "Hall" (Celtic for salt) => Bad Reichenhall (salt is still won here today) , Schwäbisch Hall...

[QwertyMIDX]

A lot of early greek colonies were actually greco-punic colonies. The ancient world was incredibly globalized.

[Dooz]

A lot of early greek colonies were actually greco-punic colonies. The ancient world was incredibly globalized.

Aren't they all?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

A lot of early greek colonies were actually greco-punic colonies. The ancient world was incredibly globalized.

"A lot"? I knew a few were, but comparatively, were there really a lot?

[QwertyMIDX]

Depends what you mean when you say early greek colonies I suppose. A large number of the early ones in Sicily were, and I think many of the Italian ones as well. Not so much for Black Sea colonies though.

[cunctator]

Graeco-roman merchants during the principate also sailed directly to india from egyptian red sea ports across the indian ocean in whole fleets and also traded with along the eastern african and southern arabian coasts. The trade is described by the Periplus Maris Erythraei ( http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/periplus.html ), Strabo and others.