Spices, scents and silks were at the center of world trade for
millennia. Through their international trade, humans were pushed to
explore and then travel to the far corners of the earth. Almost from
their inception, the earliest great civilizations - Egypt, Sumer and
Harappa - became addicted to the luxury products of far off lands and
established long-reaching trade networks. Over time, great powers fought
mightily for the kingdoms where silk, spices and scents were produced.
The New World was accidentally discovered by Columbus in his quest for
spices.
What made trade in these products so remarkable was that the plants
producing them grew in very restricted areas of the world, distant from
the wealthy civilizations of northern Africa, Greece and Europe. These
luxuries could be carried from mysterious locations on the backs of
camels or in the holds of ships for months on end, and arrived at their
final destination in nearly perfect condition. Once the western world
discovered the intoxicating properties of these products, their
procurement became a dominant force in the world economy. Nothing else
compared with their possible profit returns.
In this book, eminent horticulturist and author James Hancock examines
the origins and early domestication and culture of spices, scents and
silks and the central role these exotic luxuries played in the lives of
the ancients. The book traces the development of the great international
trade networks and explores how struggles for trade dominance and demand
for such luxuries shaped the world.
