Where’d you get that shirt?

Look at the tag in your shirt. Where was it made? There is a good chance it came from another country. Today, global trade is common. Long ago, though, it was a big challenge with big rewards. Trade networks spread rapidly in this era. Traders across ancient Afro-Eurasia and Mesoamerica carried new goods and ideas to new places.

Why did trade arise? Cities were the main reason. People wanted or needed things that they couldn’t grow or make themselves. Ancient trade networks developed to fill those needs.

Roads, Winds, and Camels: The Afro-Eurasian Network

Africa, Europe, and Asia are connected. Sometimes they are referred to as Afro-Eurasia. They make up more than half the land on Earth. They are also home to most people in the world. Today, the entire planet is connected. We have airplanes, ships, and trucks. We also have the Internet. Four thousand years ago, though, life was very different. But trade networks still existed across these three continents. Goods traveled from merchant to merchant across thousands of miles like a relay race.

Afro-Eurasia’s networks were more active than other parts of the world. But why? The world’s oldest farming societies developed in Afro-Eurasia. Its geography helped trade develop. Pack animals like horses and camels were available to carry goods on land. Sailing ships moved goods across the sea.

Some regions were known for certain goods. For example, silk originally came from China. Silk cloth was beautiful and useful. It became a valuable trade good. Traders carried it across Asia to the Mediterranean Sea, both by land and sea. These routes became known as the “Silk Road.” These traders carried other goods, too. They brought cotton and spices from India. Gold was traded from the coast of East Africa. Wine and glass were transported from Greece to China. Enslaved people were also bought and sold along this trade network.

Take a look at the picture below. This object is called the Standard of Ur. It was created around 2400 BCE in the city of Ur in what is now Iraq. But it is made from materials not found in that region. The blue rock comes from where Afghanistan is today. The figures made from white shells are from the Persian Gulf. The red stone is from India. Traders brought all these materials to Ur more than 4,400 years ago.

Trade became a big deal in Afro-Eurasia in this time period. It connected almost all societies there for the first time in history.

Sharp Black Rocks: The Mesoamerican Network

About 3,000 years ago, trade networks also developed in the western half of the world. The biggest of these networks was in Mesoamerica. Today, we know this region as Mexico and Central America.

Long-distance trade in the Americas required great effort. The mountains in this region were high. The rivers were not good for transportation. People there did not have pack animals, like horses. They had to carry most goods on their own backs. But large trade networks existed.

Like in Afro-Eurasia, traders mainly moved between big cities. Such cities often developed near valuable resources. Obsidian was one such resource. People in Mesoamerica used this black volcanic rock to make tools and weapons. Teotihuacan was near two big obsidian mines. This resource made the city wealthy and powerful.

Traders in the region carried obsidian to where it wasn’t as common. They also traded luxury goods. Mayan merchants moved up and down the Yucatan Peninsula. They traded cacao, jade, and salt. Zapotec merchants traded on the Pacific Coast. They were known for their cloth and pottery.

Traders also transported ideas. Sometimes they introduced new cultural practices to new places.

The impact of networks on communities

Rulers encouraged trade. It brought wealth and resources to their kingdoms. They built roads to make trade easier. Their armies protected merchants from bandits. As a result, trade networks rapidly grew in this time period. They connected distant societies like never before.