5.3 Bronze Age trade networks and international relations

Bronze Age trade networks connected the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt through maritime and overland routes. Key hubs like Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies across these regions.

The Minoans and Mycenaeans played crucial roles in expanding trade networks and cultural exchange. Raw materials like copper, tin, and gold drove economic growth, specialization, and political alliances, shaping the complex interconnected world of the Bronze Age Mediterranean.

Bronze Age Trade and International Relations

Bronze Age trade networks

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• Major maritime trade routes connected the Aegean (Crete, mainland Greece, Cyclades), Anatolia, the Levant (city-states like Ugarit, Byblos, Tyre), and Egypt
• Overland trade routes traversed Anatolia (Hittite Empire) and the Levant, facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas
• Key trade hubs and ports included:
  • Minoan Crete: Knossos, Phaistos, Zakros - major centers for the export of luxury goods (fine pottery, textiles, olive oil)
  • Mycenaean Greece: Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos - expanded upon Minoan trade networks and controlled key trade routes
  • Egypt: Thebes, Alexandria - major markets for imported goods and sources of luxury materials (gold, ivory)

Minoan and Mycenaean trade roles

• Minoans (c. 3000-1450 BCE) established extensive trade networks, exported luxury goods, and engaged in diplomacy and cultural exchange
• Mycenaeans (c. 1600-1100 BCE) expanded Minoan trade networks, traded raw materials (copper, tin, gold), and maintained diplomatic relations with major powers (Hittites, Egypt)
• Both civilizations served as intermediaries in the trade of goods between the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt, facilitating the spread of ideas, technologies, and artistic styles

Cultural exchange in Aegean region

• Artistic influences: Minoan and Mycenaean art incorporated elements from Egyptian and Near Eastern styles (frescoes, pottery depicting Egyptian and Levantine motifs)
• Technological exchange:
  1. Adoption of writing systems influenced by Near Eastern scripts (Linear A - Minoan, Linear B - Mycenaean)
  2. Spread of advanced metalworking techniques (lost-wax casting, sheet metal production)
• Religious and cultural exchange:
  • Shared religious iconography and practices (bull symbolism, worship of mother goddess)
  • Adoption of foreign luxury goods and practices (cylinder seals, faience objects)

Raw materials in Bronze Age economy

• Copper: Essential for bronze production ($90\%$ copper, $10\%$ tin), sourced from Cyprus, Anatolia, Levant, traded as standardized oxhide ingots
• Tin: Necessary for bronze but scarce in region, sourced from distant lands (Afghanistan, Cornwall), high demand drove long-distance trade and trade route establishment
• Gold: Used for luxury goods and prestige objects, sourced from Egypt and Anatolia
• Silver: Used as currency and for luxury goods, sourced from Anatolia and the Levant
• Ivory: Used for luxury goods and decorative objects, sourced from Egypt and the Levant
• Trade in raw materials:
  • Fueled growth of Bronze Age economies and development of complex trade networks
  • Encouraged specialization and the rise of skilled craftsmen (metalworking, other industries)
  • Contributed to formation of political alliances and diplomatic relations between states and regions