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Transcontinental Trade of the Old World

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  As I mentioned in my post on Rome’s economy, trade is a vital aspect of a healthy society. As civilizations developed and advanced, so did the trading routes, becoming more complex and farther reaching. Today, we will talk about one of the first transcontinental trade networks on the planet, the Silk Road, connecting the far east of Asia to Europe.   Everything started during the days of the Han dynasty, when Emperor Wu was searching for ways to end the threat of the Nomadic nation of  Xiongnu  in modern day Mongolia. As such, he sent an emissary , named  Zhang Qian, to central Asia for potential allies. Zhang, despite traversing the territories of his enemies, made it to his destination and successfully  made contact with  the local Yuezhi and  Dayuan  people, but was quickly attracted by something else: horses. Now, the Hans were no strangers to these animals, as they themselves fielded cavalry and chariot units in significant quantity. H...
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Rome's Economy, How Good was It.

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  The Roman Empire is one of the greatest and longest-ruling polities in history, beginning in 509 B.C. with the establishment of the Roman Republic and ending with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D. It achieved dominance of the Mediterranean, and later survival in Anatolia, through a combination of factors, one of which was a robust economy. However, recent scholars have shifted this view, with more people arguing that the empire’s economy was far more fragile than it appeared. So, what is the  real answer  to that question?   What Rome Did Well   Let’s  be clear: Romans were not inept at managing their economy; in fact, they had many practices that made it  relatively robust  for its time. You cannot  establish  and maintain an empire as large as theirs for so long in the ancient world while being backward in finances. That said, this answer is not  very interesting  on its own, so  let’s  delve into how the Ro...
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Copper Trade Incident in Sumeria

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  Commerce is one of the oldest concepts in human civilization, dating back to the time when we were nomadic hunter-gatherers travelling the wild. After all, it  doesn’t  take much to understand that when you see someone with something you want, you have three options: let it go, steal  it  or give them something they want in exchange. These kinds of interactions have given rise to multiple practices and professions, both good and bad.   Our story today will cover the earliest known trade incident that was recorded. Considering that the record is  nearly 4,000  years old, it is weirdly impressive. The culprit in question is a merchant from the city of Ur in Mesopotamia named  Ea -Nāsir, who was transporting his goods between Ur and the city of Dilmun by boat. Nāsir was a long-time copper merchant importing well, copper, and selling it to his city. Archeological findings suggested that he was heavily invested in his trade with the royal palace...
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