Historical factor
Shifting trade routes
Shifting trade routes refers to the recurring pattern in which empires that depended on controlling commerce declined when trade moved to new routes. Changes in caravan paths, the rise of maritime routes or new competitors could cut revenues that sustained armies and administration. Examples include the Ghana Empire as trans-Saharan trade moved east, the Khazar Khaganate, the Songhai Empire and the Mutapa Empire.
Mentioned in 3 profiles
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Shifting trade routes. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/shifting-trade-routes
- MLA
- “Shifting trade routes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/shifting-trade-routes. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Shifting trade routes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/shifting-trade-routes.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Shifting trade routes’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/shifting-trade-routes (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻