Classical Antiquity
The world in 551 BC
12 powers on the map
Four great Eurasian powers connected by the Silk Road and Indian Ocean monsoons. Alexander (334 BC) merges Greek and Persian cultures. Rome, Han, Parthians, and Mauryans cover half of humanity. Buddhism, Christianity, state Confucianism, and Greek philosophy flourish.
What happened
Empires and states
Active trade routes
- Amber Road — Baltic amber to the Mediterranean
- Incense Route — Frankincense and myrrh from Arabia Felix
- Phoenician Mediterranean Routes — Purple dye, metals and glass as far as Gades