with parts of the Roman Empire along the eastern Mediterranean. Greek merchants had carried
Christianity to Ethiopia in the fourth century CE.
Silk Road Trade
One of the most far-reaching of the contacts between classical civilizations and other societies was
the contact of the pastoral nomads of Central Asia with established societies. Central Asian herders
often served as trade facilitators along the famed Silk Roads that linked trade between China and
urban areas in Mesopotamia in the last millennium BCE. During the time of the Roman Empire, the
Silk Roads were extended to the Mediterranean world. Named for their most prized trade commodity,
the Silk Roads also were noted for the exchange of a variety of other goods between East and West.
Nomadic peoples frequently supplied animals to transport goods along the Silk Roads. The Silk
Roads served as an artery that transported not only trade goods but also religious beliefs, technology,
and disease.
Indian Ocean Trade
The Silk Roads included not only land routes across Central Asia and Europe but also sea lanes in the
Indian Ocean. Chinese pottery was traded along with Indian spices and ivory from India and Africa.
The Indian Ocean trade network, which included the South China Sea, involved mariners from China,
Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and Persia. Sailors used the seasonal monsoon winds to chart their course
and carry out voyages that linked sections from East Africa to Southern China.
Trans-Saharan Trade
A third principal trade route in classical times was one across the Sahara. One of the most significant
developments in the trade across the Sahara was the use of the camel and the development of the
camel saddle. It is possible that the camel arrived in the Sahara from Arabia in the first century BCE.
Early Saharan trade patterns included the exchange of salt and palm oil. During the days of the Roman
Empire, North Africa also supplied Italy with olives and wheat, and with wild animals.
Rapid Review
Although they ultimately fell to nomadic invaders, the classical civilizations of China, India, and the
Mediterranean produced traditions that stamped an enduring mark on world cultures. Major world
belief systems spread throughout Eurasia. The Silk Roads, Indian Ocean network, and trans-Saharan
routes linked the Eastern Hemisphere to the foundations of a global trade network.
Review Questions
1 . During the classical period, Africa
(A) was cut off from global trade patterns
(B) repelled Christian missionary efforts