A
trade route is a
logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. Allowing
goods to reach distant
markets, a single trade route contains long distance
arteries, which may further be connected to smaller networks of commercial and noncommercial transportation routes. Among notable trade routes was the
Amber Road, which served as a dependable network for long-distance trade.
Maritime trade along the
Spice Route became prominent during the
Middle Ages, when nations resorted to military means for control of this influential route. During the Middle Ages, organizations such as the
Hanseatic League, aimed at protecting interests of the merchants, and trade became increasingly prominent.