Historical Trade Routes as the Arterial Networks Sustaining Commercial

Historical Trade Routes as the Arterial Networks Sustaining Commercial and Cultural Connectivity Name Institutional affiliation Historical Trade Routes as the Arterial Networks Sustaining Commercial and Cultural Connectivity Introduction Historical trade routes, such as the Silk Road route and the Indian Ocean maritime network proved to be the arterial networks sustaining commercial and cultural connectivity across societies and regions of Asia. In the history of the ancient and early medieval South Asia, the establishment and maintenance of trade networks and arteries of multicultural religious transmission was a critical impulse for political crescendos (Neelis, 2011). The treatment of transregional networks emphasized the cultural, religious, and economic geography of the Indian Ocean maritime and silk route network systems. The distance was considered to affect the value of religious and economic goods, and traders carrying goods between destinations were often compared with religious specialists since missionaries obtained materials from outside and brought them home. As Neelis (2011) notes, the missionaries did this under certain circumstances where the process of moving from a locus outside to an inside cultural setting affected an emblematically major change. This paper identifies how historical routes such as the Silk route and the Indian Ocean maritime network served as the arterial networks that sustained both cultural and commercial connectivity. The early paintings of the 20th century depict dhows sailing along the East African coast. Such traditional boats often plied the Indian Ocean waters and connecting continents for millennia (Daggett, 2016). Explorers and gallant merchants often sailed thousands of miles across the expanse of the blue waters exchanging ideas and goods while establishing connections. Prior to Marco Polo’s exploration of East Asia in the early 13th century, many communities in Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean were already trading goods for thousands of yea...