Trade and markets are the twin engines that lead to the creation and growth of not only the empires, but also the great civilizations from the times immemorial. Having firm faith in the growth of markets for economic development, we decided to explore whe

On the commerce and trade materials between Middle East and Indus civilization in 3rd century B.C.; a study.

This book brings together key, incisive writings (published and unpublished) of the late Andre Gunder Frank on world development and world history. The selections provide the reader with a historical tracing of Gunder Frank's conceptual thinking on development, through to his views on world history, world development and globalization.

Trade and commerce are among the oldest, most pervasive, and most important of human activities, serving as engines for change in many other human endeavors. This far-reaching study examines the key theme of trading in world history, from the earliest signs of trade until the long-distance trade systems such as the famous Silk Road were firmly established. Beginning with a general background on the mechanism of trade, Richard L. Smith addresses such basic issues as how and why people trade, and what purpose trade serves. The book then traces the development of long-distance trade, from its beginnings in the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods through early river valley civilizations and the rise of great empires, to the evolution of vast trade systems that tied different zones together. Topics covered include: • products that were traded and why; • the relationship between political authorities and trade; • the rise and fall of Bronze Age commerce; • the development of a maritime system centered on the Indian Ocean stretching from the Mediterranean to the South China Sea; • the integration of China into the world system and the creation of the Silk Road; • the transition to a modern commercial system. Complete with maps for clear visual illustration, this vital contribution to the study of World History brings the story of trade in the premodern period vividly to life.

The historic long term economic interconnections of the world are now universally accepted. The idea of the economic 'world system' advanced by Immanuel Wallerstein has set the period of linkage in the early modern period but Andre Gunder Frank and Barry K. Gills think that this date is much too late. They argue an interconnection going back as much as 5000 years. In The World System, leading academics examine this issue, in a debate contributed to by William H. McNeill and Immanuel Wallerstein among others.