Trade Triad An Atlas of Trade Through Time

The Full Timeline of Trade

Over a hundred events spanning early exchange networks to today's global logistics. Combine filters, search, and switch between chronological and card views.

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16 events found

Ancient Trade

c. 3000 BCE

Cuneiform Tablets Record Mesopotamian Trade

By the late fourth millennium BCE, Sumerian scribes in cities such as Uruk used cuneiform script pressed into clay tablets to record transactions involving grain, textiles, metals…

Uruk and other Sumerian city-states, southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) · Middle East & West Asia

c. 2600 BCE

Nile River Trade Sustains Ancient Egypt

The Nile River served as ancient Egypt's principal transport corridor, allowing boats to move grain, stone, and other goods between Upper and Lower Egypt with the help of the rive…

Nile River valley, from Upper Egypt to the Nile Delta (modern Egypt) · Africa

c. 2500–1900 BCE

Indus Valley Seals Reveal Trade With Mesopotamia

Distinctive carved stone seals and standardized weights from the cities of the Indus Valley civilization have been found at Mesopotamian sites, indicating sustained contact betwee…

Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, Indus River valley (modern Pakistan and northwest India); Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) · South Asia

c. 1600 BCE – 200 CE

The Amber Road Links the Baltic to the Mediterranean

Amber gathered along the Baltic coast traveled south through a loosely connected set of overland and river routes known collectively as the Amber Road, reaching Mediterranean mark…

overland and river routes from the Baltic Sea coast through central Europe to the Adriatic and Mediterranean · Europe

c. 1100–800 BCE

Phoenician City-States Build a Mediterranean Trade Network

Phoenician merchants from coastal cities such as Tyre and Sidon built a network of trading posts and colonies across the Mediterranean, carrying cedar wood, purple dye, glass, and…

Levantine coast cities including Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos (modern Lebanon), and Mediterranean colonies · Mediterranean

c. 900 BCE – 100 CE

Frankincense and Myrrh Drive the Arabian Incense Trade

Kingdoms in southern Arabia, including Saba and Hadramawt, grew wealthy by controlling the production and export of frankincense and myrrh, aromatic resins harvested from trees na…

southern Arabia (modern Yemen and Oman) and overland caravan routes to the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia · Middle East & West Asia

c. 750–550 BCE

Greek Colonization Expands Mediterranean Commerce

Beginning in the eighth century BCE, city-states such as Corinth, Miletus, and Megara founded colonies throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, driven partly by the sea…

Greek city-states and their colonies across the Mediterranean and Black Sea, including Sicily, southern Italy, and the Black Sea coast · Mediterranean

c. 600 BCE

Lydia Mints Some of the Earliest Coins

The kingdom of Lydia, centered in western Anatolia, is widely credited with producing some of the earliest standardized metal coins, struck from electrum, a natural alloy of gold …

Kingdom of Lydia, western Anatolia (modern Turkey) · Middle East & West Asia

c. 650–300 BCE

Carthage Dominates Western Mediterranean Trade

Founded by Phoenician settlers, Carthage grew into the leading commercial power of the western Mediterranean, controlling trade routes to Iberia, Sardinia, Sicily, and the North A…

Carthage, North African coast (modern Tunisia), and western Mediterranean trading posts · Africa

c. 500 BCE – 300 CE

Early Trans-Saharan Contacts Precede the Camel Caravan Era

Before the camel became widespread in North Africa, scattered archaeological evidence, including rock art and finds of Mediterranean goods at sub-Saharan sites, points to limited …

Sahara Desert, connecting North Africa to the Sahel and West Africa · Africa

221 BCE – 220 CE

Qin and Han Dynasties Standardize Currency and Measures

After unifying China in 221 BCE, the Qin dynasty standardized coinage, weights, measures, and even cart axle widths across its territory, reforms that the succeeding Han dynasty l…

Qin and Han dynasty China (modern China) · East Asia

c. 130 BCE

Han Dynasty Diplomacy Opens Overland Silk Road Routes

Under Emperor Wu of Han, Chinese missions into Central Asia, including the travels of the envoy Zhang Qian, established diplomatic and commercial contact with states and peoples w…

overland routes from the Han Chinese capital region through the Tarim Basin and Central Asia (modern China, Xinjiang, and Central Asian states) · Central Asia

27 BCE – 180 CE

Roman Roads and the Pax Romana Knit Together Mediterranean Trade

Beginning with the reign of Augustus, the Roman Empire built and maintained a road network of tens of thousands of miles, connecting provinces from Britain to Syria and from Iberi…

the Roman Empire, spanning the Mediterranean basin, Europe, North Africa, and the Near East · Mediterranean

c. 1st century BCE – 3rd century CE

Buddhism Spreads Along Central Asian Trade Routes

As merchants, monks, and travelers moved along the overland routes connecting South Asia, Central Asia, and China, Buddhist teachings, texts, and artistic traditions traveled with…

overland routes through the Kushan Empire, Tarim Basin, and into China (modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, and China) · Central Asia

c. 40–70 CE

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea Documents Indian Ocean Trade

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Greek-language sailing guide likely written by a merchant familiar with Red Sea and Indian Ocean routes, describes ports, goods, and sailing …

Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean coasts (modern Egypt, Yemen, Oman, India, and East Africa) · South Asia

c. 300–600 CE

Maya City-States Build Regional Trade Networks

Maya city-states during the Classic period exchanged goods such as obsidian, jade, cacao, salt, and brightly colored feathers across a network of overland paths and river and coas…

Maya lowlands and highlands, modern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras · The Americas