How Did Trade Affect Indus River Valley Civilization

5,000 years ago when the first civilizations began trading marks the creation of an innovation that took the world by storm, this innovation was trade. By contemplating the prominence of trade within complex societies, specifically the Indus River Valley, we can see where trade began and how it changed the lives of those in these societies. Moving forward from that point, methods of trade adapted to travel longer distances, which was most noticeable through trade along the silk road out of Ancient China. From China came many religions that made their way around the world along trade routes like the silk road. Of the more notable religions is Buddhism; It found it’s way into the lives of people on the opposite end of the known world. Networks of exchange compelled an enormous change in human history. The evolution of trade followed that of human need and desire within the Indus River Valley civilizations, China, and Buddhism The people of the Indus River Valley used trade much to their advantage midway through the second millennium

Buddhism was very special because it was perhaps one of the first religions that spread primarily along networks of exchange. The loyalty of those who followed the Buddha impacted the spread of Buddhism, “Many men and women who accepted the Buddha’s teachings set up monasteries and convents for meditation and study” (The Life of the Buddha 80). Missionaries established temples along trade routes designed to give passerby’s a taste of the religion. Following the typical cycle of trade, travelers would return to their countries with new word of Buddhism. As the religion expanded it was adapted to suit the beliefs of specific people. It is interesting to see that trade has become so complex that rather than handing someone a physical item, a trader also offers a glimpse into his own life through the spread of ideas like