Page "Trade" Paragraph 18

Materials used for creating jewelry were traded with Egypt since 3000 BC.

Long-range trade routes first appeared in the 3rd millennium BC, when Sumerians in Mesopotamia traded with the Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley.

The Phoenicians were noted sea traders, traveling across the Mediterranean Sea, and as far north as Britain for sources of tin to manufacture bronze.

For this purpose they established trade colonies the Greeks called emporia.

From the beginning of Greek civilization until the fall of the Roman empire in the 5th century, a financially lucrative trade brought valuable spice to Europe from the far east, including India and China.

Roman commerce allowed its empire to flourish and endure.

The Roman empire produced a stable and secure transportation network that enabled the shipment of trade goods without fear of significant piracy.