Paper Topic:

Spice Trade

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Spice Trading

Spice trading , a commercial activity that involves the exchange of herbs and spices for other goods , has its origin in the ancient times . Spices and herbs nowadays , are plentiful and basically used to improve the taste of food as flavorings or as preservatives by prolonging the shelf life of a product . In ancient and medieval times , spices and herbs were considered precious products due to their medicinal values , and as components for making perfume . The use of herbs for medicinal purposes

br today is still predominant in China

Trade routes during the ancient times were fraught with dangers , but despite this , caravans carrying these precious commodities risked dangers in to reach their markets . The traders of the ancient world have known of turmeric , cinnamon , cardamom , and ginger , long

before the Western World even heard of their existence

The spice trade has long been established before the Common Era , or Anno Domini . References of the spice caravan are repeatedly mentioned in the Bible . For instance , in the book of Genesis , Joseph was sold to merchants of the spice caravans . Even the Queen of Sheba presented spices to King Solomon as one of her gifts . Traders kept the spices origins and imbibed tales of horror , adventure , and fantasy to make them more mysterious and attractive . Among the trading markets in those times were the Red Sea and the Incense Route . In the Incense Route luxury goods were traded that include silk , Indian spices , textiles and ebony

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Routes followed by traders were generally on land , but later maritime routes were developed . The Ptolemaic dynasty , which ruled Egypt from 305 BC to 30 BC , kept its trading relationship with India through the Red Sea

Golden Road of Samarkand

In 3000 BC to 200 BC , it was the Arabs who brought spices to early civilizations . It was the sesame seed that was the earliest spice to be recorded -- believed to have sprouted from the gods before earth was created . The Golden Road of Samarkand , or the Incense Route , was the earliest spice trade route to be recorded . It extended from the deserts of South Asia to the Middle East . Major trading centers were found in this route , from Egypt , India , and Arabia . The Arabs had their frankincense and myrrh to offer India had spices , fine textiles , silk and ebony to trade while the Africans had gold , animal skins , rare woods , and feathers . The Arabs were controlling this route for hundreds of years . They grew rich bartering and acting as middlemen in the exchange of local goods with products and spices from Africa and the Far East

Among the important trading points in this route were Gerrha , which controlled the aromatics of Dhofar and incense trading and theYemen barter point that controlled frankincense and myrrh trading . Wars were often fought to gain control of these important points . Not only were goods traded in this route , but Islam was also spread because of the Incense Road

Roman Empire...

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