The Role of Transport Vehicles in Ancient Eurasian Integration

The article is devoted to assessment of the role of transport in development and integration of the Eurasian continent in ancient times. Upon analysing the role of water (river and sea) transport in establishing connections between remote regions of Eurasia, it is highlighted that, given the geographical features of Eurasia, its integration could not be achieved based on the use of water transport alone. Attention is focused on the importance of land transport innovations (the use of horses for riding and the emergence of wheeled carts), thanks to which previously inaccessible areas in the steppe zone of Eurasia became suitable for use and the productivity of cattle breeding increased. It resulted in strengthening of intergroup interaction and development of integration institutions that determined both the life of individual societies and the interaction between them.

New transportation opportunities, increased spatial mobility, and the growing complexity of public institutions gave rise to new social and material needs, stimulated migration and development of interregional exchange. At the same time, not only was there an exchange of surplus products, but production expanded to increase exchange, becoming a commodity manufacture. All this contributed to implementation of the geographical advantages of Eurasia and provision of a higher population density and economic productivity of the use of the territory there compared to the world average.

The synergetic development of water and land transport vehicles and transportation and the long-distance trade based on their use resulted in the transformation of Eurasia by the beginning of II millennium BC into a single system of interconnected cultures.

1. Maddison, A.Contours of the World Economy, 1–2030 AD. Essays in Macro-Economic History. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007, 432 p. ISBN 978-5-93255-350-3.

2. Diamond, J. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies. N.Y., W. W. Norton, 1997, 480 p. ISBN 9780393038910.

3. Acemoglu, D., Robinson, J.A.Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. N.Y., Crown Publishers, 2012, 544 p.

4. Anthony, D. W.The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World. [Russian Transl. from English]. Moscow, Publ. house of the Higher School of Economics, 2023, 672 p. ISBN: 9785759825487.

5. Polterovich, V. M. Towards a General Theory of Socioeconomic Development. Part 1. Geography, Institutions or Culture? [K obshchei teorii sotsialno-ekonomicheskogo razvitiya. Chast 1. Geografiya, instituty ili kultura?]. Voprosy ekonomiki, 2018, Iss. 11, pp. 5–26. EDN: MGNKOT.

6. Galahov, V. I. Evolution of Means of Travel. Part 1. World of Transport and Transportation, 2007, Iss. 4 (20), pp. 132–141. EDN: KLTQRL.

7. Galahov, V. I. Evolution of Means of Travel. Part 2. World of Transport and Transportation, 2008, Iss. 1 (21), pp. 144–151. EDN: KDSYDB.

8. Galahov, V. I. Evolution of Means of Travel. Part 3. World of Transport and Transportation, 2008, Iss. 2 (22), pp. 144–151. EDN: KDSYNB.

9. Macheret, D. A.Transport factor in the era of ancient civilizations. World of Transport and Transportation, 2014, Iss. 2 (51), pp. 230–239. EDN: SFRIKL.

10. Razuvaev, A. D. The History of Development of Inland Transport Infrastructure: Technology and Economic Aspects. Part 1. World of Transport and Transportation, 2021, Vol. 19, Iss. 6 (97), pp. 92–102. DOI: 10.30932/1992-3252-2021-19-6-11.

11. Macheret, D. A.The Role of Transport in Formation of the «Advancement Effect» in Ancient and Medieval Societies. World of Transport and Transportation, 2023, Vol. 21, Iss. 4 (107), pp. 112–121. DOI: 10.30932/1992-3252-2023-21-4-13.

12. Zubov, A.A.Columbuses of the Stone Age. How our planet was populated [Kolumby kamennogo veka. Kak zaselyalas nasha planeta]. Moscow, AST-Press, 2012, 288 p. ISBN 978-5-462-01198-6.

13. Markov, A. V. Human evolution. In 2 books. Book 1: Monkeys, bones and genes [Evolyutsiya cheloveka. V 2 kn. Kn.1: Obezyany, kosti i geny]. Moscow, Astrel; CORPUS, 2012, 464 p. ISBN 978-5-17-078088-4.

14. Ponting, C. World History. A New Perspective. London, Chatto & Windus, 2000, 944 p. ISBN 978-0701168346.

15. Bernstein, W. A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2008, 494 p. ISBN 9780871139795.

16. Mechnikov, L. I.Civilisation and the Great Historical Rivers [Tsivilizatsiya i velikie istoricheskie reki]. Moscow, Airis-press, 2013, 236 p. ISBN 978-5-8112-5112-4.

17. Paine, L. The Sea and Civilization. A Maritime History of the World. N.Y., Vintage Books, 2015, 800 p. ISBN 978-1101970355.

18. Atlas of World History [Russian Transl. from English by Afanasiev, S. D., Klimova, O. I., Pozdnyakova, N. A.]. Moscow, Astrel, AST, 2004, 480 p. ISBN 978-5-17-020573-8.

19. Badak, A. N., Voynich, I. E., Volchek, N. M. [et al]. World History: In 24 vols. Vol. 1. Stone Age. Minsk, Literatura publ., 1997, 528 p. ISBN 985-6274-25-7.

20. Semenov, Yu. I. Origin and development of the economy: From primitive communism to societies with private property, classes and the state (ancient eastern, antique and feudal) [Proiskhozhdenie i razvitie ekonomiki: Ot pervobytnogo kommunizma k obshchestvam s chastnoi sobstvennostyu, klassami igosudarstvom (drevnevostochnomu, antichnomu i feodalnomu)]. Moscow, KRASAND publ., 2014, 720 p. ISBN 978-5-396-00584-6.

21. Eurasian steppe metallurgical province [Evraziiskaya stepnaya metallurgicheskaya provintsiya]. The Great Russian Encyclopaedia, Vol. 7. Moscow, Scientific Publishing House «The Great Russian Encyclopaedia», 2007, pp. 514–516. EDN: MGZOAH.

22. Macheret, D. A. The Future of Transport in the Context of Megaeconomic Changes. World of Transport and Transportation, 2014, Iss. 6 (55), pp. 6–13. EDN: TCUSLJ.

23. Vasiliev, L. S.General history. In 6 volumes. Volume 1. The Ancient East and Antiquity [Vseobshchaya istoriya. V 6 t. T. 1. Drevniy Vostok i antichnost]. Moscow, Vysshaya shkola publ., 2007, 447 p. ISBN 978-5-98227-850-0.

24. Sachs, D.The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions. N.Y., Columbia University Press, 2020, 280 p. ISBN 978-0231193740.

25. Macheret, D.A.Role of population density, mobility and the movement of material goods in different concepts of economic growth. Voprosy teoreticheskoi ekonomiki, 2021, Iss. 4 (13), pp. 50–78. DOI: 10.52342/2587-7666VTE_2021_4_50_78.

26. Galor, O.The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality. N.Y., Dutton, Penguin Publishing Group, 2022, 304 p. ISBN 978-0593185995.

27. Clark, G. A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World. [Russian Trans. from English]. Moscow, Gaidar Institute Press, 2012, 544 p. ISBN 978-5-93255-338-1.

28. The Cambridge History of Capitalism. Vol. 1. The Rise of Capitalism: from Ancient Origins to 1848. [Russian Transl. from English]. Moscow, Gaidar Institute Press, 2021, 800 p. ISBN 978-5-93255-606-1.