A site devoted to exploring the ancient trade routes around the
Mediterranean. Generally, we stay near the Mediterranean, which still covers a lot of
area. The time covered is from about the beginning of writing until 400 AD [CE].
This covers the fall of the Roman Empire, the beginnings of Christianity, and up to but
not including, the rise of Islam. Eventually, you will be able to follow a series of
routes all the way around the Mediterranean.
1. Follow an Ancient Route and learn along the way; 2. Search the
Index for specific information;
3. Whats New? A
page for those who return here regularly.
Silk Road Due to recent interest in Afghanistan I am including
part of the Silk Road. You can now follow the Silk Road from Baghdad to Kashmir,
China. I stop there.
Way of the Sea Through Palestine along the coast, cutting
through Megiddo and on to Damascus, Syria.
Royal Road Travel along the route in upper Turkey, beginning at
Smyrna, through the land of the Hittites, into Armenia, and ending at Babylon. The
trip is sketched in but few pictures so far.
Amber Road Route which begins in north Italy, goes through Yugoslavia to the
Danube in Hungary. Still under construction...
For the reader new to
ancient history, we strongly recommend following one of the routes listed, and learn as
you go. The story is general, with many subjects linked, to allow you to follow whatever
interests you. Expect to get lost occasionally, which is the whole point of the page
layout. You can always return to the beginning of the trip and follow a different set of
links. For the veteran historian, perhaps needing information on a specific topic, the
index will let you get there quicker. Note the really famous places are omitted, since
they are well-covered elsewhere. You will find very little on Rome or Jerusalem, but Kerak
is covered.
All through this site, all links are within the site. You will not be sent to other locations. The exceptions are those links in the Credits page. These links are very obvious.
During the travels, unusual people, places and subjects are linked to separate files, where you can get more information, then return to your travel point. If you have a question about something mentioned but not followed up, let us know.
For those looking for information on a specific topic I include an index of subjects available. This index expands almost daily as more areas are made ready for inclusion. Also, some files are parked in folders which seem unlikely, however, I simply did not know where else to put them. You may have to search around a little for what you want. Where would you have put linen? or qanat? or Vestal Virgins?
CATEGORIES| People | Many people files, many still pretty raw and not yet on-site. |
| Areas | Areas and countries, to cover geography and climate. |
| Cities | Many cities; some on the route; many not connected but interesting. |
| Empires | Information on many of the empires which have arisen and fallen over time. |
| Water | Files which give more information on various rivers, lakes and seas which are mentioned throughout the text. |
| Disasters | Here you find detailed info on some of the ancient disasters. |
| Subjects | There is always a miscellaneous category. |
| Trees | Family Trees and King Lists |
| Satellite | Collection of satellite photos with description and labels. |
Click to go to Index listing
We hope you
find something interesting and we are certainly open to suggestions. We also encourage
content criticism, if you keep it mild. Praise can be logged on at any time. Incidentally,
we desperately need pictures of these areas, pictures which are not copyrighted. If you
have been there, and have a few pictures, please send them with explanation and we can put
them on this site. For those of you who would like to add something, even a page, I could
certainly use the help.
Throughout
the site, clicking this symbol pulls up a very small locator map, about 7 kb in size.
Return using your browser's return arrow. If the symbol is
in an unusual place, its simply for my
convenience
while constructing the page. It will be removed, eventually.
This button takes you to
a dictionary, short but specific to this site. Words used but not in the
normal daily conversational vocabulary. Use your browsers return
arrow after use.
This website will be constantly updated, as we get time to devote to our hobby. If there is something you are looking for, let us know and maybe we can forward it. There are literally hundreds of files which are not yet ready for the site. As it is, this site is already very large. It would take you weeks to read, and I can't possibly remember it all !
Credits
To find out more about the authors and to
respond with a message.
To find out where we got some of the information and graphics.
To find more about what the intentions of the author is.
Answers
A few links and answers to Requests
If you asked for something special, check this page occasionally.
You will also find a few links to continue your search for information.
© 2000, Rodney R. Baird