Trade routes

A trade road from the 2nd century BC to

the end of the 14th c AD. It stretches
from Chang'an (now Xian, China) in the
east up to the Mediterranean in the west,
linking China with the Roman Empire.

Silk was the major commodity being

traded, thus was named the Silk Road in
1877 by Ferdinand von Richthofen – a
well-known German geographer.
This ancient route not only circulated
goods, but also exchanged the splendid
cultures of China, India, Persia, Arabia,
Greek and Rome
The Mediterranean Sea
The ancient Romans named the
Mediterranean Sea. (Mare internum or
mare nostrum) which means “sea in the
middle of the earth".

The Mediterranean Sea was the first sea

used by the explorers and traders.
Phoenicians
The Phoenicians sailed along the coast of
the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
They explored the coastlines of Northern
and Western Africa. It was also believed
that they went as far North as the British
Isles
. These ancient mariners were responsible
for some of the early maps of the region.
They recorded landmarks coastal features,
which resulted in smoother, safer passages
for ships.
It was hard to provide an accurate picture
of the coast because mapping techniques
were primitive. The shortest, safest
passage from one port to another was kept
as a valuable state secret because trade
opportunities enriched countries and
promoted empires.
The Minoans