Ancient Trade Routes That Connected the World

Ancient empires did not survive in isolation. Every prosperous nation relies on trade—trade in food, services, goods, workers, and other resources. While these commodities can travel the globe in hours today, getting them across the world in ancient times was much more time-consuming and hazardous.

Lack of infrastructure, treacherous terrain, fear of ambush, and unfavorable climates were just some of the many hazards that traders of the time faced. To ensure steady and safe supply routes, resourceful and wealthy empires constructed their own paths. The most successful of these ancient arteries changed the development of civilization and continues to echo through history. Below, we look at the impactful trade routes that connected and shaped the world.

The Silk Road

Although the Silk Road has become a common historical legend, this famous path wasn’t a single road, nor did it just trade silk. In reality, it was a series of routes weaving between East Asia and Europe to transport many different goods, as well as ideas, cultural beliefs, and knowledge.

The history of the Silk Roads goes back to 139 BC when General Zhang Qian of China was sent West on a diplomatic mission. While China’s enemies captured Qian on that first mission, he brought back such detailed reports that the Emperor Han sent him on the road again in 119 BC. The Han dynasty began trading along this established pathway, setting in motion a link between Europe and Asia that would continue for more than 1,500 years.

At some point in the 1st century BC, silk was introduced to Rome and quickly became one of the most popular commodities on the route, eventually giving it its name. In addition to silk, traders carried precious stones, spices, tea, textiles, horses, and other valuable commodities. Not every trader made the entire journey; some stopped at the many cities and ports that sprang up along the way, and a few travelled alone, forming merchant caravans for safety.

As the Silk Roads developed, they spread into a vast network of highways and maritime routes from China to the Indian subcontinent, the Iranian Plateau, the Caucasus, Turkey, North Africa, Russia, and Eastern Europe. The routes allowed trade to flow and cultures to mingle, producing vibrant multicultural cities, new technologies, and the spread of world religions. Today, parts of the Silk Roads are preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include ancient trading towns such as Samarkand in Uzbekistan and Asia's 5,000 km Tian-shan corridor.

The Incense Route

Incense was a precious and popular commodity in the ancient world. It was used to anoint kings, perform religious rituals, heal, and cleanse. It was one of the most sought-after goods, making it one of the most lucrative. The Arabian Kingdoms that produced, traded, and transported fragrant resins like frankincense and myrrh gained significant wealth and influence thanks to the Incense Route.

Also known as the Ancient Caravan Route, this trading pathway is one of the oldest and longest in the world. It operated from the second millennium BC into the sixth century and covered over 2,000 km from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean. Around 3,000 tons of incense passed through the Ancient Caravan Route each year, with camels carrying the traders and their precious cargo to their destination. According to Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, the journey took 62 days to complete.

The route facilitated substantial advancements in infrastructure across the inhospitable desert. Not only did a serviceable road need to be built along the way, but also fortified cities to shelter and service travel-weary traders. Many trading hubs are now protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, recognized for their historical, architectural, and engineering value.

The Amber Road

Much like the Silk Road, the Amber Road wasn’t a single highway but rather a loose network of routes transporting amber from northern Europe to the Mediterranean. Active from the Bronze and Iron Ages right through to the era of the Roman Empire, these amber roads connected the Celtic and Germanic people in northern Europe with peoples to the south at a time when amber was a highly prized commodity.

Amber is the fossilized resin of coniferous trees, which were plentiful along the shores of the Baltic Sea at the time. Transported south, it was used by prehistoric societies and later the Romans for jewellery, ornaments, decoration, and other high-value items. Its glowing hue and rarity gave amber a special status in ancient life. The gem often appears in Roman mythology and legends as having healing and/or mystical properties.

In Roman times, the major amber highways ran from the Baltic Sea through Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia before reaching the Roman port city of Aquileia, where it was processed and made into jewellery worn by wealthy Romans across the empire. Today, tourists can visit the National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia to see an extensive collection of ancient amber artifacts, including rings, statues, and other pieces.

The Spice Routes

Also known as the Maritime Silk Roads, the Spice Routes turned the world’s oceans and seas into a thriving international trade highway. In operation as early as 2,000 BC, these seafaring routes were a vital bridge between East and West, bringing together vastly different societies to share produce, goods, and cultures.

The Spice Routes covered an area of over 15,000 km, running from Japan, Indonesia, and India through the Middle East and into Europe. Busy ports developed along the way, changing the geopolitical map and increasing the influence and wealth of ancient coastal cities. The trade routes take their name from the most profitable commodity that travelled them, spices. Exotic condiments such as cinnamon from Sri Lanka and cassia from China were in high demand and priced high. Spices were not just used to flavor food; they were valued for their medicinal qualities and used in many healing and religious rituals. Other goods that flowed along the spice routes included ivory, silk, metals, and gemstones.

Sailors took a significant risk travelling the spice routes, transporting precious cargo at the mercy of the weather and marauding pirates. For many traders, it was an acceptable pay-off thanks to the high prices such exotic goods commanded in Western markets.

The Tin Route

Researchers recently uncovered exciting new evidence of one of the oldest trade routes in the world: The Tin Route. The first commodity to be traded across the European continent, tin was vital to Bronze Age peoples who combined it with copper alloy to make bronze tools and weapons. The richest tin deposits were in Cornwall and Devon in southern England, so you may ask how European Bronze Age people acquired their tin.

Archaeologists and historians have hotly debated this question over the years, but now a new study from Durham University’s Department of Archaeology sheds new light on the ancient tin trade. Researchers looked at tin ingots recovered from four Mediterranean shipwrecks—three off the coast of Israel, dating back to 1300 BC, and one off the coast of France from around 600 BC. Looking at its composition and chemistry, the scientists were able to trace the tin from the wrecks back to southeastern England, indicating that the ships had been part of a trade network carrying the metal from Britain to the continent.

This important discovery is credible evidence for a maritime tin route, but researchers continue to fill in the gaps around how the tin was transported overland. Historical records and archeological discoveries show that by 1,300 BC, almost all of Europe and the Mediterranean had access to bronze, hinting at a thriving ancient trade route that swept from Britain’s Jurassic Coast to Continental Europe.

Connecting Civilizations

With new information coming to light about Europe’s Tin Route, it’s clear that there’s still much to learn about how ancient societies traded and transported goods. What is clear is that without these busy commercial connections, our present world would look profoundly different. Whether introducing Eastern markets to Western spices, fostering the development of multi-cultural port cities, or determining the future of empires, trade routes were about much more than profit. As archeologists and historians continue to unearth their secrets, these connections also build a bridge between the past and the future.