Why do people trade? People trade with each other because they both benefit.

Countries around
the world have different natural resources and human resources. People in each country produce
different goods using these resources. They trade these items for goods they do not produce, that is
.trade
Thanks to transportation and communication, people around the world can trade more quickly today
.than ever before
Long ago, people also traded with each other. Thousands of years ago, there were no cargo ships,
.airplanes, telephones, or computers. But people still conducted international trade
For instance, people in ancient Greece used to trade with others around the Mediterranean Sea.
Greeks made beautiful pottery and grew olives and grapes. They traded these items for goods they
needed. Greek ships often sailed across the sea to Egypt. In Egypt, they bartered their products for
.cotton, fruit, and wheat
The ancient Romans also traded for many goods with Egypt and other nearby countries. The Romans
also traded with China and India, Merchants used a route called the Silk Road to go to China. They
.traded gold and farm goods for silk, gems, and spices from China and India
Trade was an economic multiplier. The comparative advantages of production in different areas
meant that all participants were better off after trading. Trade was also an important disseminator of
ideas. Visitors to other cultures spread new ideas and innovations quickly. Those cultures that
.actively traded were usually among the most advanced

Source: American School Textbook Reading Key Basic 3

?What is the passage mainly about 1

a. How people conducted trade in the past
b. What some items that the Romans traded were
c. Which countries the ancient Greeks traded with

Answer the following questions according to the text 2

?a. What is trade
..…………………………………………………………………………
?b. What has helped people to trade more quickly than ever before
..…………………………………………………………………………
?c. What did the ancient Greeks barter olives for
..…………………………………………………………………………
?d. In which region did the ancient Greeks trade with others
..…………………………………………………………………………
?e. How did ancient civilizations benefit from trade
..…………………………………………………………………………

.Complete the sentences 3

.a. Nowadays people can trade around the world more _________________ than in the past
.b. The ________________ was a route that Roman merchants used to go to China
._________________ c. The Romans used to trade many goods with people in China and
Text Exploration
:Find in the text words that synonyms to the following 1
..…………………………= a) profit (§1) =………………………….. b) developed (§ 6)

.Divide the following words into roots and affixes .2

natural international transportation communication

prefix root suffix

.Combine the following pairs of sentences using the link words in the list 3
therefore ~ as soon as ~ although
a) People didn’t have ships, airplanes, telephones, or computers but they still conducted international
.trade
..………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b) People have developed transportation and communication means. They have begun trading more
.quickly than before
..………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
.c) Some ancient civilizations actively traded. They were usually among the most advanced
..………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
.’Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of the final ‘ed .4

traded produced needed sailed

/t/ /d/ /id/

.Fill in the gaps with the words in the list .5

easier ~ been ~ down ~ keep
Writing was important for the Mesopotamians. People used writing to………….….… track of the goods
they traded, and to write down important stories. Life in Ancient Mesopotamia was made ………….…
through writing. It helped people write ………….….… and remember their laws. Without writing the
.laws might have ………….….…forgotten, or changed more frequently

II) Written Expression

How important was trade in early civilizations?
Useful ideas
encouraged the specialization of crafts -
brought economic prosperity -
developed uniform weights, measurements and knowledge about navigation and predicting the -
weather
…gave civilians the resources required to live and prosper, etc -
promoted friendship among nations -
Text Exploration
:Find in the text words that synonyms to the following 1
..…………………………= a) well known (§2) =………………………….. b) expensive (§ 2)

.Divide the following words into roots and affixes .2

exchanging international transportation communication

prefix root suffix

.Combine the following pairs of sentences using the link words in the list 3
therefore ~ as soon as ~ although
a) People didn’t have ships, airplanes, telephones, or computers but they still conducted international
.trade
..………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b) People have developed transportation and communication means. They have begun trading more
.quickly than before
..………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
.c) Some ancient civilizations actively traded. They were usually among the most advanced
..………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
.’Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of the final ‘ed .4

traded produced needed ruled

/t/ /d/ /id/

.Fill in the gaps with the words in the list .5

easier ~ been ~ down ~ keep
Writing was important for the Mesopotamians. People used writing to………….….… track of the goods
they traded, and to write down important stories. Life in Ancient Mesopotamia was made ………….…
through writing. It helped people write ………….….… and remember their laws. Without writing the
.laws might have ………….….…forgotten, or changed more frequently

II) Written Expression

How important was trade in early civilizations?
Useful ideas
encouraged the specialization of crafts -
brought economic prosperity -
developed uniform weights, measurements and knowledge about navigation and predicting the -
weather
…gave civilians the resources required to live and prosper, etc -
promoted friendship among nations -
Complete the outline

Ancient Trade

Greeks Romans

Traded with people around the- Traded with Egypt and other-
Sea..……………………… .nearby countries
Made pottery and grew olives and- Traded with……………………and-
grapes India
.Sailed on ships to Egypt- Used the Silk Road-
Bartered for …………………… ,- Traded gold and farm goods for-
fruit and wheat .silk, ……………………,and spices
?What does benefit mean
a. invest b.try c. profit

a. Silk, gems and spices b. Cotton fruit, and wheat c. Gold and farm goods

Trade on a large scale was financed by agricultural surpluses that became available especially after the
river valleys were irrigated and organized. The trade of surpluses greatly encouraged the specialization of
crafts. People near important raw materials could concentrate on a craft and trade the result of their labor
for food from the river valleys. People in the mountains around Ur traded metal tools and ore for food, for
example. The placement of the first civilizations on rivers and coasts accelerated trade because transport
by boat was cheap. Pottery could be shipped by boat over long distances. The cedar of Lebanon could be
shipped by sea to Egypt, where timber was in short supply.Trade was an economic multiplier. The
comparative advantages of production in different areas meant that all participants were better off after
trading.Trade was also an important disseminator of ideas. Visitors to other cultures spread new ideas and
.innovations quickly. Those cultures that actively traded were usually among the most advanced
a. the Mediterranean Sea b. China c. India

Writing was important for the Mesopotamians. They made

wedge-like symbols, markings pressed into clay tablets. This
early form of writing was called cuneiform. People used
writing to keep track of the goods they traded, and to write
down important stories. Life in Ancient Mesopotamia was
made easier through writing. It helped people write down and
remember their laws. Without writing the laws might have
been forgotten, or changed more frequently.
Babylon was the city of Ancient Mesopotamia. It was near the
Euphrates River. People had settled there to grow crops, and it
developed into a city. The people who lived on the banks of the
Euphrates and Tigris rivers traded crops, clothing, farm
animals, and other items they needed. The river water was also
used for transportation and for drinking. People dug canals,
ditches, to move water to other places to support farming, and
for transportation.
desert = sandy soil rivers = water for animals and
farming= fertile soil
How important was trade in early medieval societies?
While some view the early medieval period as the ‘Dark Ages,’ they miss out on the diversity of
activities and the sprouts of progress in medieval life. This essay will therefore seek to examine the
importance of trade in these early medieval communities in Western Europe from 800 to 1100 AD. It will
argue that trade was extensively important because it was vital to the prosperation of society. Early
medieval societies benefited from trade through relations and exchanges between neighbors as well as
peoples abroad. This instigated the use of trade routes and trade alliances or exchanges which led to the
development of complex and thriving societies. Furthermore, trade in early medieval civilization greatly
encouraged and aided expansion of lands and influence. With the complexities of society developed
through trade, non-economic influences such as culture and religion were also shared and adopted across
lands and peoples.

Early medieval trade significantly influenced the development of society through the benefits gained from
enhanced trade relations with the use of commercial routes. These trade routes improved the connection of
neighboring lands as well as those lands abroad. Consequently, the construction of roads and passageways
for both land and sea travel significantly aided the linkage between diverse societies.
1
Early medieval traders created and expanded passages of travel that through the expansion of trade led to
extensive commercial axes. These trade axes utilized faster and easier means of travel by both land and
sea, ultimately connecting the Rhine in Germany to Alpine passes to other markets in France and Italy,
whereby the regions of Europe were better linked.
2
Previously, medieval Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West consisted of mainly scattered
and relatively isolated populaces. However, following Rome's fall in 476, there was an economic upturn in
Europe greatly instigated by the increase in trade.
3
This later led to the development of trade alliances which allowed for new or enhanced connections and
made communities progress into complex and thriving societies. Initial increases in trade were also linked
to attempts to achieve diplomatic relations wher
e “peaceful exchange of gifts was the ideal of this period.”
4
This continued until trade grew from this pacification through gifts and tributes to leaders. What began
with

Rachel Alberstadt
2
“gift exchanges between ruling elites” which “helped oil the wheels of trade and diplomacy”
5
successfully evolved into trade routes and trading systems between and amongst kingdoms and regions.
Early records illuminate these practices, for example:
“
The ships, perhaps in convoy for self protection, arrived in the ports flying flags and singing songs to
indicate
their owners’ peaceful intentions. The cargos were unloaded and displayed on shore and the merchants
took an active part in assisting the royal officials in assessing their values.”
6
Significantly, because these exchanges grew into larger mechanisms, there became a need for a
sophisticated infrastructure of measurements and rules to govern exchanges. Exchanges between
governments were carried out with elements of diplomacy but mirrored mechanisms developing
between the traders’ relations themselves. However, “reciprocity in administrative practices under the
control of rulers is the essential feature of ports and trade in North West Europe.”
7
Not only did these mechanisms of trade infrastructures progress on micro levels, but these expanded into
macro levels as well whereby these conventions became established for the purposes of legitimacy and
reciprocity amongst trade relations.
8
Therefore, while the importance of early medieval trade can be over-exaggerated for its significance
, it is still evident that “early medieval realities were no less complex than modern ones.”
9
Additionally, trade in the earliest medieval periods was limited to specific people and areas as a
commercial network had not yet been developed. The larger mass of peasantry also had limited access to
resources needed to engage in trade relations. However, with the growth of trade came the growth of
larger communities and networks. An index of “economic growth was the increase in the number and
size of cities
and towns.”
10
For example, the possibility of the Renaissance derived from the economic development to patronize
artists and education. To this end, it was an economic revolution that led to highly urbanized and literate
people.
11
Comparably, this example demonstrates relevant illustration to