Throughout history trade has become a focal point in human society to determine an empire’s life span. Many early forms of trading routes, have brought together societies and helped spread culture across the land. There are many key factors that have brought trade together in the empires. Those factors have helped give the people of the empire a better look at their surrounding neighbors. From spice, food, clothing, religion, and even education exchanges, trading has helped unite people from many different ethnic groups. Many ideas such as the Silk Road and commercial treaties have brought ideas across the world, and help expand empires even more. We will explore how trades worked together to unite diverse peoples, …show more content…
Several prominent trade systems that were developed helped link the empires together in a complex network. The Silk Road was a great example of how empires helped to facilitate trade and exchange. The Silk Road was an ancient caravan route that stretched more than 4,500 miles and was linked to thousands more miles of routes through South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, thanks to Alexander the Great, his conquests created links between South Asia and the Mediterranean. As a result, it helped create better contact between South Asia and the Mediterranean. (Week 7: Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic World, and the Silk Road - The Geography of the Silk Road). The Silk Road also brought people from different cultures together. This is how Christianity and Buddhism (from India) reached China. (Oxford Reference: The Overview of the Silk Road). Another example was in the Roman Empire and its creation of a large road network. The Roman’s built a huge system of roads that all lead to Rome. Maps were created with the roads drawn up. The Romans also created the mileage marker which made it even easier to determine your location in the Roman Empire which also made them very efficient. The mileage marker told the traveler how many miles/distances they were away from Rome (Reading: Roman Roads). These trade routes have made it easier for merchants and travelers to exchange their goods and spread cultural and intellectual ideas throughout the mainland of Europe. Those roads today are traveled upon by people just like us, although much faster and efficient than in the ancient Roman