Trade In Time

One of the most prominent effects of the cross cultural interaction was the Afro Eurasian Trade Network which helped increase revenue. The trade routes that were part of this network were the Mediterranean Sea Maritime Trade Route, Indian Ocean Maritime Trade Route, Eurasian Silk Road and the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes. The increase in trade resulted in the emergence of major cities such as Timbuktu, Jenne, Mogadishu, Mombasa and other Swahili city states. Another reason for the flourish of trade was the invention of new technologies such as caravans for traveling and the trading of luxury goods such as silk, cotton and porcelain. The dawn of new kingdoms such as Mali, Songhay and Sudan contributed to this effect as well. The spread of Islam resulted in

“No nation was ever ruined by trade.” This quote was said by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700s. These words are so simple, and it seems like anyone could have said them. However, this quote has a bigger meaning in that throughout world history, trade has been so important to so many countries and it has led to many empires successes. It has occurred for a very long time, and it has progressed dramatically. Trade has changed a lot, but some parts of trade stayed the same over a long periods of time. In the era between 300 CE and 1450 CE, trade between Eurasia and Africa changed because the empires and kingdoms in power were replaced and their control over trade differed;

However, the Mali Empire’s power was weakened due to quarrels about orderly succession of the emperors. When the Songhai Empire realized that weakness at the center of Mali, they started rebelling. In 1375, Geo rebelled. Soon Songhai Empire began its expansion at the expense of Mali. They conquered Mema, Timbuktu from the Tuareg. The military commander responsible for these victories, Sunni Ali Ber, was considered the first great ruler of the Songhai Empire. He continued to expand and build the empire by taking control of important Trans-Saharan trade routes as well as other cities and provinces of Mali. Trade had a significant influence on the history of these empires. The riches made through these trades contributed to build larger kingdoms and empires. In order to protect their trade, they build even larger armies. The slave trade was the most important contributor to their economic development. “The Songhai kingdom under the rule of Askia Mohammed used slaves as soldiers. Slaves were trusted not to overthrow their rulers. Sometimes, slaves were given position such as royal advisers because “Songhai rulers believed that slaves could be trusted to provide unbiased advice unlike other citizens who held a personal stake in the outcome of decisions” (Tesfu 2015).

Similarly both trade routes had access to salt. Nevertheless, the Trans-Saharan trade route also was able to obtain gold, ivory, metal ware, textiles, pepper, dates, beads, and leather. Consequently the quantity of goods led to an increase in wealth for Ghana. The Trans-Saharan trade route was able to exchange their luxury goods for pottery, glassware, and textiles from Persia, India, and China. Additionally during the 900’s the kings converted to Islam causing wealthy merchants to also convert. On the other hand, overland trade on the Silk Road produced silk, spices, and precious stones. Meanwhile sea-lanes on the Silk Road were capable of carrying bulkier items such as steel, stone, coral, and building materials. Because China was the only country that had cultivators and weavers with an outstanding knowledge of developing techniques, they were able to produce high-quality silk fabrics in classical

Even though these aspects describe the ways that change occurred with trade between Afro-Eurasia, one important part did stay the same. North Africa was consistent and always a key part of trade between the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. In 300, North Africa was the only area that traded with the Mediterranean. In the time of the gold-salt trade, European venders and Islamic merchants arrived in North Africa. North African merchants still traded even when Europeans started to shift the balance of trade to the Americas starting from the mid-1400s. This is how trade systems between Africa and Europe stayed the same between the years 300-1450.

West Africa has experienced migration, because of the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups it contains, and because of the minerals, and goods it can produce. Around the ninth century C.E., in the trans- Saharan route, slave trade became popular. These slaves were used by the Arabs for military service, administration, domestic service, and concubinage. Extensive trade in the region led to urbanization, as well as the introduction of Islam. Muslim Berbers contributed to the expansion of Islam, by controlling the trade routes in Africa, and becoming conduits for economic activities, by the tenth century. During the mid-11th century, cities like Gao and Timbuktu had Muslim scholars traveling the routes, because of the intrusion of the Almoravids, and this resulted in turning these cities into hotspots for study and trade. The eleventh century brought the acceptance of the Islamic culture, and led to conversion of the elites, so they can have legal, political, administrative, cultural, and economic benefits. The Islamic culture did not disrupt indigenous African shamanist and animist beliefs, it united ethnic groups, and led to the development of Islamic states throughout Africa. (Africa, 3000 B.C.-A.D. 1500 / West African Trade /

            The use of the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea let merchants travel to expand trade. With use of the silk road, and the sand roads, merchants brought mass produce and luxury items like silk, cotton, porcelain, and spices to trade for and with.  Inter-regional trade involved the Arabs, Africans, and Indians into trade and purchase more goods, which expanded trade even more.  Another discovery that played a major role in trade was the understanding and use of ocean currents and seasonal monsoons.  Nature played a role in allowing the people to plan their travel dates more accurately and safely.  Africa and Egypt became wealthy and powerful with their use of trade and being able to tax and charge merchants who were traveling through the county.

During the Tang dynasty, trade was highly prosperous, with the Silk Roads being the mediator between regions all over Eurasia. The Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Dynasty both supported trade, which established a continuous stretch of land that promoted trade. However, during the Song dynasty, trade plateaued, and was not as lucrative for merchants. The routes were plagued with robbers and there were not as many buyers wanted to trade. But once the Mongols were able to establish dominance over most of Asia, trade prospered once more.

The Byzantine Empire needed the metal to create an economy and many products. The route kept on expanding to be a more traditional trade route of the Silk Road between Europe and the Middle East. The camel caravans and oases were the primary modes of transportation to make it possible for the buyer and seller to communicate about the product and slave. The camels were perfectly suited to the travel through the Sahara from moving for extended periods of time and carrying heavy packages. The transportation also helped cultural exchange between Africans and Arabs. The Trans-Saharan trading enriched the African kingdoms beyond what would have been possible without it.

In the African continent, they developed an economic relationship with the European nation. There was clear signs that European needed connections. Prior to their relationship, african rulers had established trade links with the Mediterranean world, Western Asia, and Indian Ocean region. The expansion provided Europeans goods that included, cloth, iron, copper, jewelry, beads, and more. In exchange, Europeans return with textiles, carving, spices. The main trade however was

Petra was the center of trade due to their location. They were in between two commercial trade routes of Asia and Arabia. The people of Petra traded throughout the Silk Road. They traded spices such as, salt and pepper (People). Additionally, precious metals, ivory, textiles such as, cloth and fabric, and incenses such as, frankincense and myrrh were traded as well (People). Today's methods were impacted by these systems as well. Modern trading mostly occurs throughout seas that travel from place to place, or through land. Although the ancient Silk Road used by the Petra people no longer functions, people have copied and improved this strategy for

Extending from the Sub-Saharan West African kingdoms across the Sahara desert into Europe, the Saharan Routes provided a connection between African empires such as Songhay, Ghana and Mali and the European world. Two main roads crossed the desert from the south to the north. Pictures of ancient carts were discovered along these roads, leading scientists to believe that these trade routes existed in antiquity. The North and the South (Carthage and Ancient Rome) traded carbuncles and ivory, with the tribes of garamantes, who lived on the territory in between, acting as intermediaries.

Trade during the High Middle Ages paved the way for The Renaissance. In Italy, trade led to the growth and increasing wealth of cities along it’s path. Resources and goods were traded in Asia, Baltic Countries, Spain, France, Flanders, and England, mostly through European Merchants. Trade began in weekly day markets, and during church festivals. As merchants began to sell more goods in the church festivals, rulers began to allow fairs and as trade advanced, taxes and guards

African gold and other goods reached Europe long before European traders reached Africa. The communities of West Africa were involved in an important trade route northward. Travelling across the Sahara Desert, the Muslim traders of North Africa dealt with the West Africans. The West Africans exchanged their local products like gold, ivory, salt and cloth, for North African goods such as horses, books, swords and chain mail. Trading goods for other goods, called bartering, was common all over Africa, but the West African peoples also had a type of money that they used in trade. Gold dust was the ‘money’ used in areas of West Africa and with North African traders.

Caravan trade originated in the fourth century 301 AD-400 AD. It was an extension to the existing interregional and intraregional trade. It was fundamentally important to several empires and trade networks. There were primary roads such as the ones that ran north to south, east to west in the respective areas of the world. During the sixth century to approximately the fifteenth century, trade networks began to emerge and evolve. The establishment of many of these networks led to the establishment of monetary systems. For example, in Western Sudan they used cowrie shells, strips of cloth and gold dinars from North Africa as a form of currency through the Trans-Saharan trade route.