РефератыИностранный языкThThe Trade Development In Gotland

The Trade Development In Gotland

& Great Zimbabwe Essay, Research Paper


There were many differences and similarities between the ways trade has developed in Gotland


and in Great Zimbabwe. In this essay I would discuss the most important ones, that can indicate


something about trade development in other places in the world.


The time span in which trade has developed and came to its highest level in both places was


about the same. In Great Zimbabwe it was between the 10th and the 16th centuries. In Gotland it


started in the Vikings age end (9th century) and ended in the 16th century. The trade was


reduced radically after these eras have passed. The main reason for it in Great Zimbabwe was


social and environmental reasons Great Zimbabwe was abandoned. Another reason is that the


Portuguese began exploring southeast Africa and made colonies there, that weakened the Shona


Kingdom even more. In Gotland the trade amounts were reduced because it stopped being an


independent island it was vanquished by its enemies. The conquering of a place could affect the


trade and its development for the worse.


The geographical locations in both places have affected the trade development. Both places have


coasts. In Gotland, which is an island, it was probably hard to create trade connections when


the ships were not so developed. When the ships were more advanced, Gotland was used as a trade


station ships from the Baltic area got equipped and traded with the Gutar. Great Zimbabwe is


found in the mainland but it is close to the coast. Great Zimbabwe s region contains many gold


resources and it is a good agricultural zone. The location of an area and the resources in it


could affect the trade and its development tremendously.


The markets that the merchants in each place traded with were ones that the best way to reach


them was by sailing. The people from Great Zimbabwe used the winds that are blowing in the


Indian ocean and the Arab sea to navigate to the places they traded with. The places are:


southern Arabia, India, China. The Gutar traded with ships that came to Gotland from the Baltic


area. In the golden age of the trade in Gotland the Gutar have reached to places all over


Europe and even to the Mediterranean sea countries. Both places have traded with countries of


their areas since the ships were not so well developed at that time unlike t

oday, they were not


good and safe enough for very long sails. In the past an access to a sea or an ocean could


affect the trade and its development.


The goods that were traded depended on the resources available in each place. The goods traded


by the merchants from Great Zimbabwe were: ivory, gold, and iron. It was easy to get these


materials there gold and iron were produced from ores, and the ivory was taken from the


elephants that were common there. The merchandise in Gotland was: sandstone, wax, furs, amber


and picture stones. The people got sandstone from quarries, furs from animals, and made wax,


amber and picture stones from materials that were prevailing there. The more needed or valuable


the goods were, the richer the traders became.


The religion in both places was an important part of life and trade. In Gotland religion


affected the trade in each one of the eras Christianity and pagan. In the pagan time picture


stones were used, among other things, for religious ceremonies and they were exported from


Gotland to the countries of the Baltic. When Christianity appeared in the area, the Gutar have


exported wax, which is used for candles in churches, to all of Europe. Some say that religion


was the most important thing in Great Zimbabwe s society and therefore it must have affected


their whole life including trade. Christianity has made the trade of Great Zimbabwe weakened


since it came with losing their independence. The people of Zimbabwe have lost their culture


and religion and became less united as one nation these are usually the effects that a forced


change in a nation s culture and religion can bring, the Portuguese have done this in other


countries, too. The Portuguese have also taken over the trade it made the people of Zimbabwe


more demoralized and less wealthy they were too weak to keep their culture and religion.


Religion can have good effects and bad effects on trade.


To conclude I can say that the way trade develops in different areas depends on many things and


there are similarities in the general effects on the amount of trade and how good it is. The


small details are not very important like if the goods traded are ivory or sandstone a certain


pattern of effects on trade is followed, probably not only in Gotland and Great Zimbabwe, but


in many other places.

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