Tracing the Roots of Globalization and Business Principles

Chapter 4

The Age of Exploration

The first threads in the tapestry of globalization began in ancient times as merchants began trading between their territorial regions and then expanded over intercontinental land routes. The extended navigation of the Mediterranean Sea basin further enhanced the process as ships moving along the Red Sea and then making their way by hugging the coast across the Arabian Sea to India opened up water venues to new territories. These initial commercial connections between the East and the West were dubbed the “Incense Road,” or the “Spice Route,” and then the “Silk Road.” These vestiges of international trade stretching from Europe to Asia operated from 100 BCE to around 1500 CE. The merchants who traveled these ...