The Silk Road and Pakistan’s Forgotten Trade Networks

Silk Road and Pakistan: Before the Indian subcontinent was memorialised as the ‘Golden Sparrow’, it had already been home to what would eventually connect East and West: the trade networks later called the Silk Road. These routes facilitated the exchange of goods ranging from terracotta figurines to fine porcelain. However, the exchange of various goods didn’t always run this smoothly, and it took more than just a village to establish such an extensive network. To be precise, it took civilisations to trade spices, clothes, and so on and so forth. 

The Indus Valley Trade with Mesopotamia

One such civilisation that comes to mind is the Indus Valley Civilisation and its dealings with Mesopotamia. With a strong societal and political standing in the Bronze Age and a well-functioning administration, there is no doubt that the Harappans were also successful at commerce. With that being said, they not only manufacture copper goods (including flat oblong axes, chisels, knives, spears, arrowheads, saws, and razors) but also sell them to the rest of the state. 

Not to mention, the trading norms were quite nuanced in their own right. The residents of the Indus Valley civilisation not only practised business at the domestic level but also internationally (with the Mesopotamian empire). 

The Harappans had a keen understanding of the resources of their neighbouring civilisations and what could bring them prosperity. The products exchanged for better networking purposes were mainly carved out of copper, gold, turquoise, amethyst, and jade. The aforementioned materials were bought and brought home from places such as Rajasthan (now in India), northern Karnataka, (modern-day) Iran, Maharashtra, and central Asia, respectively. 

Reciprocally, the people of the Indus Valley civilisation offered Cotton textiles, copper tools, and weaponry along with Carnelian beads. 

To ensure that their business deals were confirmed and secured, the Harappans had Steatite (soapstone) seals that had cord or sack marks carved on them with a copper blade. 

However, the trade between the Indus Valley civilisation and Mesopotamia took place via the sea (modern-day), the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. The Mesopotamian ships carried Timber and precious woods, ivory, lapis lazuli, gold, and luxury goods such as pearls and bone inlays in exchange for silver and tin. 

These dealings lasted until the Old Babylonian period (1700 BC), around the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation’s subsequent decline. 

The Maritime Links with Rome 

The now-called ‘Silk Road’ had another strong basis initially, and that was the sea trade amongst Roman Egypt, the East Coast of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South and Central Asia. 

The ancient sea merchants mainly considered the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean as effective means of trade, since not only was it cheaper and faster, but also because it could be carried out through commercial guilds that were rarely affected by the geopolitical circumstances between the states at the time. 

Various commodities, such as silver and gold jewellery, were exchanged. Besides this, the widely exchanged stones were obsidian and nephrite (a type of jade), and this was where the jewelry-making craft began. 

Another evident phenomenon was the art of stone carving, which later precipitated the development of ornament workshops in port settlements in parts of what are today Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. 

In particular, the discovery of stone ornament workshops in port trade centres such as Khao Sam Kaeo on the upper Thai-Malay Peninsula has led to a more nuanced and complex picture of early maritime exchange in the region.

This maritime commerce was the strongest during the prime eras of the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty (of China). What might pique one’s interest is that the now-known ‘Silk Road’ wasn’t only a means to transfer spices, textiles, and metals; it was also utilised to bring in knowledge about medicine and astronomy. Thus, the Silk Road not only altered and reformed the economies and cultures in the region but also improved education.