How Did The Silk Roads Affect The Trans-Saharan Trade

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During the time period of 600 CE to 1450 CE, people on the Indian Ocean sea lanes and on the Eurasian Silk Roads traded luxury items and used their new technology to help trade prosper. Although they were both trade routes, the Indian Ocean sea lanes traded overseas and the Eurasian Silk Roads were land routes. Indian Ocean sea lanes connect Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and East Africa. The Eurasian Silk Roads connected East and West China to the Mediterranean. Trade was greatly increasing in these two trade routes around this time. There was a high demand for luxurious goods that were special to each region which caused a great increase in trade. This also occurred on the Trans-Saharan trade routes with gold. Religion also played a big factor in why trade was increasing in these two trade routes. Increases in technology helped trade become more efficient and faster. For example, the compass helped people trade along the Indian Ocean sea lanes. The …show more content…

Due to their differences in geography, they depended on different things. The Eurasian Silk Roads depended greatly on political stability to keep trade going. The Trans-Saharan trade routes depended on political stability as well. The Indian Ocean sea lanes depended on technology such as ships and the compass. Trading along the Indian Ocean sea lanes was much safer than trading along the Silk Roads. Hazards that were encountered along the Silk Roads were fighting and wars, and thieves were also common. Along the Indian Ocean sea lanes, trading was much easier. It was much cheaper to trade along the sea lanes although pirating did occur occasionally. The trade routes different greatly on modes of transportation. The Indian Ocean sea lanes used due to the fact that they traded overseas and the Eurasian Silk Roads used animals such as camels, donkeys, and