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Trade<br />
For many years during the ‘Pax Romana’ (the Roman peace) the Empire all<br />
around the Mediterranean Sea was a huge region of peace and stability, so<br />
trade between countries flourished. The vast Roman road systems, which<br />
eventually covered around 90 000 km, were built to move their soldiers quickly<br />
from place to place but they were also a huge benefit to growing trade for they<br />
enabled carts drawn by oxen and horses to travel easily between towns.<br />
Roman ships travelled the world and Ostia, the port of <strong>Rome</strong>, unloaded grain<br />
from Egypt, silk from China, perfumes and cotton along with spices like pepper<br />
from India, wines from Spain, precious stones from around the Mediterranean<br />
and ivory, gold and wild beasts from North Africa for the amphitheatres. Roman<br />
ports like Ostia had stone lighthouses to guide the ships. The guiding light at<br />
night came from fires in braziers inside the building while mirrors to reflect the<br />
sun’s rays were used during the day.<br />
Trading ships sailed the seas mainly in summer to avoid winter storms but had to<br />
contend with pirates. Roman warships protected the main shipping routes until<br />
Pompey, a military leader, cleared the Mediterranean of pirates around 67 BC.<br />
Merchant ship<br />
swan stern<br />
post<br />
paddles either<br />
side of stern<br />
Activity Box<br />
sails probably<br />
made from linen<br />
A picture of a merchant ship like this, found near the<br />
River Thames in 1910, was scratched into the wall<br />
plaster of an excavated house in Pompeii.<br />
1. Why did trading ships sail mainly in summer?<br />
2. How do we know trading ships visited Britain?<br />
3. What problem on the trade routes was solved by Pompey?<br />
4. What was used to guide ships during the day?<br />
5. Why did merchant ships keep close to the coast?<br />
Steelyard for weighing<br />
traded goods.<br />
made of<br />
bronze<br />
marked scale<br />
for reading<br />
weights of<br />
items<br />
hook for<br />
weighing<br />
articles,<br />
bags etc.<br />
Merchant ships didn’t have compasses so they usually<br />
hugged the coast. Some were lost in storms and<br />
shipwrecks have been found with 10 000 amphorae<br />
containing oil or wine.<br />
The spread of trade during the peace helped to carry<br />
clothing fashions, building methods, new ideas and<br />
Christianity from its origins in the Middle East. Most<br />
people used goods produced in their local area but<br />
wealthy Roman citizens wanted exotic luxury goods<br />
from distant lands with cultures different from their<br />
own. Alexandria in Egypt was the main port through<br />
which goods from the Far East passed and the<br />
merchants there were mainly Greek. The Romans<br />
paid for the goods they bought with gold or silver<br />
coins which have been unearthed in places as far<br />
away as East Africa, Britain and Vietnam.<br />
6. Why do you think there were many peaceful years in the Empire around the Mediterranean?<br />
the steelyard<br />
was hung up<br />
by this hook<br />
weight moved<br />
along<br />
marked scale<br />
Viewing Sample<br />
7. On a separate sheet of paper, draw some goods imported by Roman merchant ships.<br />
Prim-Ed Publishing www.prim-ed.com <strong>Ancient</strong> <strong>Rome</strong> – 59 –
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