98 i PERIOD 2 Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies
Trade contacts also drew Africa into the classical Mediterranean world. South of Egypt
lay the kingdom of Kush. The Kushites had long admired Egyptian culture and adapted their
own writing system from Egyptian hieroglyphics. Kush also was a center of the independent
invention of iron smelting. About 750 b.c.e., as Egypt weakened, Kush conquered Egypt.
Kush, in turn, was defeated by the Christian kingdom of Axum about 300 c.e. Axum and
its rival, the kingdom of Ethiopia, traded with parts of the Roman Empire along the eastern
Mediterranean. Greek merchants had carried Christianity to Ethiopia in the fourth century
c.e.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 b.c.e.
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
signifi cant 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 fi rst century b.c.e. 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 into the
foundations of a global trade network.