6 MATERIA i MEDICA 



of Alexandria was destined to produce far-reaching results. Its 

 situation made it the natural emporium for this commerce, and it 

 rapidly drained the life-blood from Tyre and Sidon. 



Shortly after the death of Alexander, Greece declined in importance, 

 and the Romans, having overthrown the Carthaginians, who had 

 succeeded the Phoenicians as the chief traders of the Western 

 Mediterranean, rapidly extended their influence, which reached its 

 zenith during the first two centuries of the Christian era. Rome 

 became the centre of the world. The enormous wealth accumulated 

 there attracted foreign merchants, who employed it as a central 

 market for the distribution of the products from India, China, and 

 other countries. 



A trade had now sprung up between the seaports of Arabia and 

 of the Persian Gulf with Ceylon, the Malay Archipelago, China, and 

 Japan. Drugs and spices were landed in Arabia, and found their 

 way thence by caravan to Alexandria, those reaching the. Persian 

 Gulf being conveyed by similar means to Syria. From Northern 

 China the old caravan route passing south of the Caspian Sea and 

 through Persia and Syria was still followed. 



As Rome fell the Byzantine Empire rose. Byzantium, rebuilt 

 by Constantine A.D. 330 and renamed after himself, occupied a most 

 favoured site. When Alexandria fell to the Arabs (A.D. 640) the 

 Alexandrian route was closed owing to the unwillingness of the Arabs 

 to deal with Christians. The Indian trade was consequently diverted 

 to the caravan routes to Greek colonies on the Black Sea, and thence 

 to Constantinople. Drugs and spices from India and the East were 

 then distributed from Constantinople, either by sea to the Mediter- 

 ranean or by land to Germany. 



Wars with the Mohammedans led, however, to the decline of 

 Byzantine commerce. The Arabs established colonies on the African 

 coast and obtained control of the Mediterranean coast traffic . Their 

 empire rapidly spread from the Indus to the Pyrenees. The caravan 

 routes were revived. At first Damascus and subsequently Bagdad 

 became the centre of this trade and amassed enormous wealth. Their 

 merchants penetrated to Nigeria, Madagascar, Siberia, India, and 

 China. Canton was connected with the West by a caravan route 

 which in northern Tibet divided into three branches, the most northern 

 reaching the Black Sea, the middle Bagdad, and the most southern 

 Daybal at the mouth of the Indus. Daybal was also the centre of 

 the sea-trade from India, Ceylon, the East Indies, China, and Japan, 

 to Bussorah and Bagdad, to Aden, Cairo, and Alexandria. Cairo 

 received caravans from all parts of Africa bringing both African and 

 Asiatic goods, and it soon rivalled Bagdad in magnificence. Centres 

 of learning were simultaneously established in Bagdad, Cordova, 

 Toledo, &c. 



The Arabs became enervated and were gradually driven out of 



