Latest / Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History
The Cinnamon Route: Sri Lanka's Secret Spice Monopoly
Before nutmeg and cloves dominated the spice trade, cinnamon was the most coveted luxury in the ancient world. This episode follows the shadowy 'Cinnamon Route' that connected Sri Lanka (Taprobane) to the Roman Empire, Egypt, and China. We explore how Sri Lankan kings like Gajabahu I exploited a natural monopoly on true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), how Arab middlemen guarded its origins with tall tales of giant birds, and how the trade shaped Sri Lanka's foreign relations with the Chola Empire and the Mediterranean. Lucas and Luna dig into the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea…
The skinny
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