Late Classical Era - Trade routes that fostered the reach of religion

The third wave of civilizations included the time line between 500 – 1500 C. E. This was a time of great trade that both increased the scope of influence of different thoughts regarding both religion and political structure. There were multiple roads that fostered trade between different civilizations and different regions of the globe. The routes included over land and by sea. The land routes were helped along by the different types of animals that were able to assist with the transport of goods for commerce. The people that traveled the routes engaged in commerce trading their goods for different types of goods that they would bring back to their homeland. Sometimes, the travelers would end up staying in the different lands helping to spread their ideas about their type of religion that they practiced and different types of political ways from the area that they traveled from.

Following the trade routes also lead to different diseases spreading to different geological regions. They were particularly devastating in communities that had not built up immunities to the diseases. Some parts of the world lost up to half of their population in a very short amount of time due to the black plague that was spread from rats that carried the plague.

During this time of history, the spread of Islam became larger as Islam actively encouraged trade. Other religions that spread during this time were Buddhism and Christianity. A lot of the materials that were traded were the luxury items that were for the affluent in the different regions of the globe. This trade also helped transfer different technologies from the area of origin to where the materials were used.

The effect of trade during this period of history was a catalyst to the exchange of ideas and the migration of thought that continued the evolutionary process of different civilizations.