The Importance of Trade

Trade is one of the most important events in cross cultural relations. Without it, countries all over the world would not have half of the resources they need and use today. Think about it, the clothes people wear today are generally made from foreign countries, mainly China, Taiwan, and Korea. Foods, spices, materials, and technology have been able to advance through other countries' success, and without trading certain tools, several areas of the world would be underdeveloped.

None of this, however, could have been accomplished without the establishment of crucial trade routes during ancient times. Trade routes such as the Silk Road, enabled the "sharing" of several valuable resources to foreign lands. Although trade was common among earlier civilizations, there was a limit on the extent of travel and resources. Through protected routes that cut across thousands of miles between diverse cultures, people were able to create further developments in their lifestyles.

Not only were goods and spices traded along these routes, but an intermixing of culture and religion spread throughout the regions. Eventually, these customs, languages, and religions influenced the countries that are present today. Religions such as buddhism, islam, Confucius, and Christianity, were all huge aspects of the merging traders.

We tend to take things for granted nowadays. Things seem so easy and convenient whenever we need something. Not everything was this simple. Travel was in the form of crossing the sea by boat or venturing across thousands of miles by camel, horse, and cart. Cultures have been able to be passed down from generations through the intermixing of customs, languages, and goods through international trade routes. Without these ancient pathways, the world would be an extremely different and enclosed place.

sources:

Lecture notes

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/trade/