[MR] trade between medieval Israel and China

[Steinfeld, Henry S CIV NAVAIR PMA-209T&E/AIR 1.6.3]

Clearly there is trade along the silk road to western Europe.  Among the
traders are the Radhanites, a Jewish group of merchants that worked the
silk road from China to France.  We know that there is trade through
them to the middle east, notably Persia.  With that in mind, while 2%
may not be a large amount of artifacts, it is a start to investigation
and in time, more may surface.  Clothing style and fabric also moved
from Mongolia and China to the west moving through the hands of, among
others, the Khazars who maintained communications and travel with
Jerusalem.  We know this from remaining letters written between the two
centers.  Also, there was communications and trade between the Khazars
and Persia. 

In Service
Khadir bar Yosef Ha-Kuzari


-----Original Message-----
From: atlantia-bounces at atlantia.sca.org
[mailto:atlantia-bounces at atlantia.sca.org] On Behalf Of sigrune at aol.com
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 12:04
To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
Subject: Re: [MR] trade between medieval Israel and China

Personally I think the articles are a bit misleading in two separate
ways:


?


The presence of .2% of pottery from China does not imply a direct link
of trade. That kind of number can be accounted for from individual
resale among trade routes.??Piecemeal lots or individual pieces?could
have had a route like this: China-India(original customer)-West
Africa-Egypt-Greece-Cyprus-Acre; or China-Western China-Pakistan
region-Baghdad-Damascus-Arce.


?


I feel it is erroneous to call this kind of?extand artifacts as evidence
of "Trade", there is no indication from this evidence that China was
purposefully sending items west to gain a recognized market in pottery
in the Eastern Med region. Stuff gets?around, we already know that there
was a continuous chain of trading people from the tip of Spain to
Vietnam who would trade with neighbors on either side of them.? China
might not have known the name of Arce (but probably- or at east they?had
a name for it), but they new there was a market "over there" and that
was the target of their goods... they might have been selling to
Bagdahd, but they?knew that the goods were intended?to go on from there
through other merchants.??? 


?


I also feel that there is proof of?"direct" trade between?China and the
Mediterranean region, I seem to recall evidence of Persia having trade
contracts with the Chinese kingdoms, and there have been fragments of
Chinese silk found in Ptolomeic Egypt.?


?


Maybe I am just grumpy today.


?


-Takeda




> Evidence  of trade between Israel and China during Crusader  times:> 
> _http://tinyurl.com/yue7jg_ (http://tinyurl.com/yue7jg)

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