Ancient Trade Routes in the Mediterranean
The Mare Nostrum, or Mediterranean Sea, was the centre of the world until Europeans arrived in the Americas in the late 15th century AD. From the earliest incursions into the Mediterranean area, humans have created exchange and later trade routes in order to survive. These spider's webs of interconnectivity linked people at one end of the Mediterranean with those at the other and, over time, crawled out to reach people in the Far East, Asia, northern Europe and deep into the African continent. The first routes were on land and ranged from single tracks between settlements to the formalised series of routes such as the Silk Road. The maritime routes similarly began during the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods as courses between safe havens one day's paddle apart and, during the Bronze Age, developed into formalised routes transversing the Mediterranean from north to south and east to west.
1: Overland Trade Routes to the Mediterranean
A brief look at the ancient overland trade routes such as the Spice Road, Royal Road and Silk Road, that connected the w...
Read the article »5: Bronze Age Maritime Networks in the Mediterranean
Uncover the contrasting trade networks of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean during the Bronze Age, exploring product...
Read the article »6: Morocco to Iberia during the Bronze Age
Recent groundbreaking archaeological finds at Kach Kouch and Oued Beht in Morocco, proving that advanced Bronze Age soci...
Read the article »7: Areas of Influence Mesolithic to Romans
This is the story of the development of the ancient sea routes through the Mediterranean starting with purely local coas...
Read the article »8: The Tin Roads
Before the Silk Road, there was the Tin Road. How did ancient civilizations move thousands of tons of metal across Europ...
Read the article »9: The Karum of Kanesh c 1920 - 1850 BC
The Kanesh Karum was a vital Bronze Age trade hub in Anatolia between about c 1920 and 1850 BCE. Learn about Assyrian me...
Read the article »10: Mediterranean Bronze Age Economies
How did the Bronze Age economy in the Mediterranean work without coins? Merchants developed sophisticated economic syste...
Read the article »11: Postal Services during the Bronze and Iron Ages
The origins of postal and courier services, from Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi's Egyptian runners and Mesopotamian cuneiform ca...
Read the article »12: The Start of Mediterranean Trade Wars
How the Bronze Age collapse around 1200 BC led to the rise of Phoenician and Greek maritime powers, setting the stage fo...
Read the article »13: The Voyage of Wenamun c 1075 BC
Dissecting the fascinating Report of Wenamun, a detailed ancient Egyptian account of a priest's challenging voyage to By...
Read the article »14: From Trading Post to Emporium
The words trading post, colonies and emporium are sometimes loosely used in the context of the ancient maritime trading ...
Read the article »15: The Greek Emporium of Thonis-Heracleion
Before the foundation of Alexandria in 331 BC, Thonis-Heracleion was the obligatory port of entry to Egypt for all ships...
Read the article »16: The Greek Emporium of Naukratis
Until the discovery of Thonis-Heracleion in 2000 AD, Naukratis was considered the first Greek colony in Egypt. Naukratis...
Read the article »17: The Greek Emporium of Empuries
Empuries is an ancient archaeological site on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia, Spain. It is located within the Cata...
Read the article »18: Canopus in Ancient Egypt
Revealing the lost city of Canopus, an ancient port and religious centre submerged in Abu Qir Bay. Learn about its link ...
Read the article »19: The First Trade Wars 580 - 265 BC
Investigating the first trade wars, the centuries-long struggle for Mediterranean dominance between Etruscans, Greeks, a...
Read the article »20: Exploring new Trade Routes with Pytheas
Pytheas of Massalia's audacious 4th-century BC voyage beyond the Mediterranean to find new trade routes to northern Euro...
Read the article »21: Corinthian Helmet Distribution
The archaeological distribution of Corinthian helmets across the Mediterranean and Black Sea, reveals the reach of Greek...
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