Increasing Competition for Trade

The nature of maritime trading practices fundamentally changed after the Bronze Age collapse. Competition between the new trading nations, the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks and ultimately the Romans, increased, resulting in the first trade wars. Meanwhile adventurers explored new routes.

1: The Start of Mediterranean Trade Wars

The Bronze Age Collapse & 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...

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2: The Voyage of Wenamun c 1075 BC

The Wenamun Report: Ancient Egypt's Decline & Sea Peoples' Rise

Dissecting the fascinating Report of Wenamun, a detailed ancient Egyptian account of a priest's challenging voyage to By...

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3: The First Trade Wars 580 - 265 BC

Trade, Conflict, and the Sicilian Wars (580-265 BC)

Investigating the first trade wars, the centuries-long struggle for Mediterranean dominance between Etruscans, Greeks, a...

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4: Exploring new Trade Routes with Pytheas

Expanding the Ancient World: Pytheas of Massalia's Arctic Voyage (325 BC)

Pytheas of Massalia's audacious 4th-century BC voyage beyond the Mediterranean to find new trade routes to northern Euro...

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