The Ancient World · event 1 of 11

c. 3000 BC

The first long-distance trade routes. Lapis lazuli from Badakhshan in Afghanistan reaches Egypt and Mesopotamia, carried along relay networks thousands of kilometres long. Nobody makes the whole journey; goods pass between traders. It is the earliest evidence of sustained long-distance movement, and it is entirely commercial.

The The Ancient World era

  1. c. 3000 BC
  2. c. 1500 BC
  3. c. 776 BC
  4. c. 440 BC
  5. c. 130 BC
  6. c. 100 AD
  7. c. 150 AD
  8. 326 AD
  9. c. 630 AD
  10. 632 AD
  11. c. 1000

See the full timeline or read the short history of travel.