Indian Ocean Trade

The networks of trade and exchange revolutionized the way ideas and goods were traveled in the western hemisphere during the period of 300 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. Such trade networks include what is known today as the Silk Roads and the Indian Ocean Maritime System, which have evident overlap in the ideas and goods traded, yet deviate in likeness when studying their methods of trade .Silk Trade was usually started by Chinese emperors around 100 B.C.E to Central Asia, within short amount of time silk reached to Rome. Foreign Trade was mainly done through two route which was known as silk road and Indian ocean trade route. The trade started with silk from Chinese emperors to West Asia and from there to Rome. Some of the popular stuff which was traded

As the silk road was not a single thoroughfare from east to west. Silk road was not an actual road it was an overland route where merchants carried goods for trade but it was two routes: one that connected the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia and one that went from Central Asia to China. China also exported raw materials like jade, silver and iron whereas India exported fine cotton textiles and Arabia exported spices and tortoise shells Due to further complications on silk road they involved sea routes through which goods reached to Rome via the Mediterranean and goods from Central Asia found their way to japan and even Java through Pacific that’s why silk road is not consider as a road rather as a network of trade routes though very few traders traversed the entire silk road, instead they will just move back and forth between towns, selling to traders who would take the goods further towards their destination. Silk was only produce in china and they kept secret of their production because silk was only source of wealth in china before they invented paper. Silk was mainly use to make clothes which played very important role in Rome. Silk came through Mediterranean sea to the island of Cos, where it was woven in to dresses for the ladies of Rome and other cities. Later on Cos island became wealthy and luxurious

Later on it was also used to cover body of women one of the leading writer of first century describes that there were raiment of silk which provides nothing but it provides protection for the body, or indeed modesty so when women wears it she can clearly swear that she is not naked. Many emperors also used to design their dressing differently from others which were also not allowed to be wear by someone else one of the emperor was Emperor Gaius who was nickname to “Caligula”. He usually made his public appearances in a cloak covered with embroidery and encrusted with precious stones on it which was also long sleeved tunic and bracelets, or in silk which was forbidden by law to wear. He came shod in slippers, buskins, military boots, even with women’s shoes. He also wore the uniform of a triumphant general, which was established with the breastplate which he stolen from alexander the great’s tomb at Alexandria. Silk was so popular in roman empire many people tried to ban it by complaining about trade imbalance yet they could not ban it thus it’s proved there was lots of wealth shaped in governance also with the trade you can become wealthy without being a king or lord due to which many tension began to rise between wealth and politics even in today’s