The Growing Spice Trade

According to Merriam-Websters dictionary ( hatful, 2009), the word dole out means a person engaged in an occupation, business, or sedulousness dealings amongst persons or groups and the business of buying and selling or bartering commodities. Many factors played key roles in the economic development of a region using sell as a major component part of growing power. There were many commodities that were vocationd silk, fruits and vegetables, cotton, and remarkable stones, to name a few. The raciness trade, in particular, was an activity with ancient origins (Upshur et al. , 2002, p. 307). change up trade was and is a moneymaking(prenominal) activity which involves the merchandising of alters and herbs. The most important item of trade between the East and West were spices, especially cinnamon from India, cardamom from Aden, cassia, turmeric, and ginger and spice from Indonesia (Upshur et al. , 2002, p. 324). It bypassed silk and other commodities to be the main import from India to the westernern world ( modify workmanship, 2009). In addition to their use in cooking, spices were put to a variety of purposes, including medicine, magic, mummification, perfume, religion, and sex (Turner, 2004, Oct).For many centuries, Arab merchants controllight-emitting diode the overland trade tracks to India until the sea routes were find (SPICES, n. d. ). Overland routes helped the trade initially, further maritime routes led to tremendous maturement later. During the high and late medieval periods, Muslim traders dominated maritime spice business routes, tapping source regions in the Far East and shipping spices from craft emporiums in India westward to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, from which overland routes led to Europe.This trade was transformed by the European Age of Discovery and the route from Europe to the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope was pioneered by European navigators such(prenominal) as Vasco Da Gama in 1497 (Spice Trade, 2009). The high cost of transportation ensured that the most costly goods like silk, spices, precious metals and gems, traveled the longest distances. Most of the cargo carried in ancient trade went from Asia to Europe via overland and maritime (Upshur et al. , 2002, p. 308).Civilizations of Asia were involved in spice trade from the ancient times, and the classic world soon followed by business along the Incense route and the Roman-India routes which were dependent upon the techniques true by the maritime trading power, Kingdom of Axum (400s B. C. E. -1000 C. E. ). The Kingdom had pioneered the Red Sea route forwards the 1st atomic number 6 (Spice Trade, 2009). Trade between India and the Greco-Roman world kept on increasing and the introduction of Indian shade created a demand from aromatics.These trading outposts later served the Chinese and Arab markets, too (Spice Trade, 2009). Many other merchants and countries engaged in this trade such as the Pre-Islamic Meccans who continued to use the old Incense Route to utility from the heavy Roman demand for luxury goods. The Indian commercial society with South East Asia proved vital to the merchants of Arabia and Persia. The Abbasids used Alexandria, Damietta, Aden, and Siraf as immersion ports to India and China. Rome briefly played a part during the 5th century (Spice Trade, 2009).One of the major consequences of the spice trade was the stripping of the American continent by European explorers. Trade until the mid fifteenth century was with the east through the Silk Road with the Byzantine pudding stone and the Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa acting as the middle man. In 1453, however, the Ottomans took Constantinople and so the Byzantine Empire was no more. Now in control of the sole spice trade, the conglomerate was in a favorable position to charge hefty taxes on merchandise bound for the west.The Western Europeans set about to find some other sea route around Africa (Spice Trade, 2009). When Chri stopher Columbus sailed west in 1492, he wasnt looking for a new world, but for a new route to the old world of the Indies and for gold and spices. He found little of either (Turner, 2004, Oct). After Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan in 1520 took up the collect for Spain. Of the five vessels under his command, only one, the Victoria, returned to Spain, laden with cloves (Spice Trade, 2009).With this, Portugal and Spain developed new trade routes that bypassed the old land and water routes in the sour opened up a new era of world trade (Upshur et al. , 2002, p. 308). Conclusion What does this say about the growing globalization of trade and heathen exchange? Along the trade routes European people intermarried, passed on worth(predicate) technologies and skills, arts and literature, and cultural and religious customs. The sale of spice established humongous funds to be used to benefit local economies and promoting further trading activities.ReferencesSPICES. (n.d.). In (Ed.), Funk & Wagnalls new World Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 17, 2009, from Academic explore Premier database. Spice Trade. (2009). In (Ed.), Wikipedia. Retrieved February 17, 2009, from http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_trade Trade. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2009 ed.). Turner, J. (2004, October). Adventures in the spice trade. Geographical, 76(10), 45-50. Retrieved February 17, 2009 from Academic Search Premier database. Upshur, J., Terry, J., Holoka, J., Goff, R., & Cassar, G. (2002). World History before 1600 The schooling of Early Civilization (4th ed.). Boston, MA Thomson Wadsworth.