Mediterranean+Trade+Routes

__ **Mediterranean Trade Route** __

**What Is A Trade Route And Why Is It Important?** Trade routes were used to transfer raw materials, foodstuffs, luxury goods from areas that were in abundance to places that were short in supply. Some places had certain things that they were popular for. Trade routes were a way to share new religions and ideas. A trade route that was popular for many things were the Mediterranean trade route.



The harbors on the Mediterranean coast were a very important point on Anatolia’s connection with the Tin and The Silk roads. Anatolia’s connections with the Tin and the Silk roads did not trade directly overland but through the Mediterranean ports. The port was a direct link to the mineral and the agriculture riches in the eastern countries and Anatolia. This trade route was rather special because it connected three continents: Africa in the south, Asia in the East, and Europe in the north. This was very convenient because that is where most of the Western population were centered around.

**Luxury Goods/ Commecial Growth/ Transportation:** The Mediterranean trade route was a great source for trading wealth. The caravan routes of the Middle East and the shipping lanes of the Mediterranean provided the world's oldest trading system. The Saharan caravans link the Mediterranean markets to the north with the supply of African raw materials to the south. Jacques Coeur's business from a string of offices linked the Mediterranean source of his wealth with the markets of Western Europe. Canal du Midi joined the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The Amber Road, The Silk Road, The trans-Saharan gold; The Spice routes, the incense routes all went through Mediterranean to trade to their own destination. Spices were in high demand during the post classical period. They were very expensive. Things that were categorized into the spice trade were spice, incense, herbs, drugs and opium. Mediterranean were one of the few regions that developed major transportation networks for trade. These transportation's include; ships, pipeline and rail transport. Pipeline Transport is when you transport goods through a pipe. Rail Transport is transporting of goods with the help of wheeled vehicles that run on rail tracks. People also traded goods and other material using ships.



**Migration and Linguistic Diffusion:** The Mediterranean trade route is quite big. One of the Mediterranean trade routes, called Via Maris, also known as "The Way of the Sea," reaches Egypt, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Aphek, Megiddo, Damascus, and Hazor. This trade route also passes through the Philistine Plain, the Sharon Plain, the Aruna Pass, Jezreel Valley, the hills of Lower Galilee, and the skirts of the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Greek was a popular language during the post classical period near the Mediterranean. To be more specific, Koine Greek. Koine Greek was a mix of "ancient Greek dialects with Attic [and] the dialects of Athens." During the classical period, the main language was Ancient Greek. There were many dialects used in the Ancient Greek language.

**Role of Empires:** Politics in Greece and Rome were mainly only city affairs that were only a concern to a minority of the population. In Athens, there were tensions between tyrants and aristocrats or democrats and aristocrats because free farmers kept their independence and got rid of large debts they had. Commercial agriculture rose in Greece and Rome and ultimately led to being one of the main forces leading to establishing an empire. In Athens, Greek city-states made colonies in the Middle East and Sicily to have access to grain production. Greek city-states and Rome supervised grain trade and promoted public works, storage facilities, plus carefully regulating vital supplies. Slaves and servants worked in silver mines as manpower forAthens’ empire and commercial operations.Sparta also used slaves for agricultural purposes. During the Peloponnesian wars, the Greeks in Athens saw the drawbacks of democracy such as lower-class citizens wanting government jobs and the spoils of war. The Roman Republic eventually declined because too many farmers were dependent on protection of landlords that they didn’t even run estates properly and it resulted in no more free voting.



**Examples of Cross-Cultural Exchanges:** Rome and Greece both traded with China and India; however, the Mediterranean already had a disadvantage because their products were less sophisticated than that of East Asia. The Mediterranean typically exported animal skins, precious metals, and exotic African animals for Asian zoos in return for spice and art. The Silk Road was probably the main trade route that goods were transported to and from the Mediterranean.

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