Economic Activity that Prompted Romans to Move Eastwards along the Mediterranean Coast

Economic Activity that Prompted Romans to Move Eastwards along the Mediterranean Coast
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Economic Activity that Prompted Romans to Move Eastwards along the Mediterranean Coast
Introduction
It was during the first century that Pliny, who was a Roman scholar, made sentiments about silk that had its origin from China. He had little to no knowledge about the origin of silk that he made outrageous remarks regarding the product (Liu, 2010). He confessed it to mean silk-cotton trees that were known to produce a fiber similar to silk. By this time, there was a booming silk business between Rome and China. The business was so intense that the Chinese were gaining more because of the expensive nature of silk that they traded in with the Romans. Trade in these commodities was done along the Mediterranean coast on the Eastern part. The traders had to maneuver the Silk routes armed with their merchandise that comprised of spices from India and silk from China (Liu, 2010). This paper seeks to identify those economic activities that took place along the coast of the Mediterranean coast with special reference to the Romans and their trading partners. The paper will also discuss the type of goods they traded in and the economic impact this trade had on the region’s economy and development record.
The imperialism exercised by Rome gave them an upper hand because they took over the routes formerly used by early Arabs and Hellenistic powers. These routes already existed before the Romans made their debut in the region. It is for this reason that the Romans were able to establish large markets that received their supplies from the camel trade via the overland. Some of the most valued goods of trade by this time during the first century CE were silk from China, perfumes, and spices. As the Roman Empire expanded, its wealthy people and the entire economy had much to reap from the trade that came from this region (Liu, 2010). The main target of Rome was to gain control of the routes where most of the trade was taking place, especially the eastern caravan routes that had their origin in the Middle East. In the middle of the first century, Rome developed an interest in the eastern Mediterranean region, which covered the Hellenistic state under the Greek Dynasty and Ptolemaic Egypt. The strong Roman army played a strategic role in the protection of the trade in the Levant (Liu, 2010).
Arabian Peninsula’s ancient Kingdoms were excellent suppliers of fragrances and spice which Roman traders were interested in the Mediterranean market. By 30 BCE after the demise of Cleopatra, who was before then the Ptolemaic queen, Rome took over Egypt and converted it into one of its provinces (Liu, 2010). There was a serious clash between Rome and Parthians as a result of the competition that existed between them because of profits and the available goods, including strategic issues. Trade in this region was tight since the Arabs had no other economic activity apart from trade because their land was not arable. Their only avenue for survival was through the control of the routes for trading and any profitable land. The Persian Gulf was instrumental in gaining access to the Red Sea, Mesopotamia and Isthmus of the Egyptian Suez Canal all the way to the Mediterranean. The main mode of transport the Arabs used to traverse the desert was by camel which was referred to as “the ship of the desert”. In case they were interested to travel via the sea, they would use dhows. They were able to do this because of their mastery in the behavior of the winds. Palmyra rose to a position of dominance because of the resultant competition that existed between the Parthian and Roman empires which were prominent in the center of Eurasia (Liu, 2010).
The desert climatic conditions were not conducive for agriculture to flourish with an exception of the South Coast which is believed to be the present-day Yemen that was known to cultivate Myrrh and Frankincense. At the time these two fragrances were in high demand by the traders in the markets. The best customers for these products were the Romans and the Greeks who needed them for their numerous gods and also for the burial rights of their dead. The rulers of the Sabaean state reigned over this Frankincense and Myrrh rich region. Roman trades were ambitious and had their eyes on India for more trade. It is during this time that they made a stopover at Hymyarite port where they purchased fragrant resins for sale in India. They were sure to make profits when they reached India (Liu, 2010).
As a result of trade routes and territory annexation, in the 100s BCE and the 1st Century CE there was a furious clash between the Romans and the Parthians. The fight was fueled by the need to control what had remained of Seleucid power which was in Syria. They battled raged on and off along the Euphrates River between the two mighty empires after annexation of Syria approximately 63 BCE. Most of the conquered states were united by religion during the reign of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE (newworldencyclopedia.org, 2015). By the time the Romans had ruled over most of the markets in the region, a temple in honor of Hadrian, who was the Emperor of Rome despite the fact that they were sworn enemies was constructed. It is because of the loyalty of the Parthians to the Roman deity that it can be assumed their loyalty in business was directed towards the West and not the East. This Emperor was worshiped because of his role in restoring the much-needed trade and peace in the border region. Secondly, the role of the Roman market was vital for the survival of the city (Liu, 2010).
According to Liu (2010), the rule by Parthia in south of Mesopotamia was taken over by Sassanid Dynasty, which was in the south of Iran in 227 CE. This Dynasty created an imbalance in power in the region. They disrupted the business of Rome and Palmyra alike. During this time, there emerged a Palmyrean ruler by the name Septimius Odaenathus who controlled the trade in the city representing the interests of Rome at the border. He was successful in shielding off the invasion by the Sassanids in 267. Upon his death and the son’s death in the same year, his wife took over the mantle as the queen of the Kingdom. The wife was called Zenobia and one of the few people who could speak Latin though she was not from Rome. She was keen to ensure that her son learned the language as a way of preparing him for the apparent throne. It was rumored that she was responsible for the murder of her husband and the dead son who was to be heir apparent before he met his death.She worked hard to expand the empire at the expense of the Roman Empire. By the time the Palmyraean army made an entry into Egypt and toppled it, she made a declaration that Palmyra was secluding itself from the Roman Empire. This action prompted the Roman Emperor, Aurelian, to retaliate by deploying a contingent of his army to go and rescue the situation and defeat the rebellion. The Palmyraean army was defeated near Antioch at a precise location called Immae in 272.
There was a disruption of trading activity when the Sassanids made efforts to blockade the routes used by the Romans during their trade. Palmyra ascended into glory in the 3rd century because of Dura, which was an entrepôt along the River Euphrates at the port of Parthia and Rome. The importance of Dura was big in the eyes of Rome and as such it exer...