jan 1, 500 BC - Start of Trans-Saharan Trade – (c. 500 BCE)

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By 500 BCE, desert caravans began linking West Africa to North Africa and the Mediterranean. This trade in gold, salt, and slaves would eventually underpin the wealth of empires like Ghana and Mali. It also facilitated cultural exchange, including the later spread of Islam. The emergence of these routes shows how African societies were integrated into broader Afro-Eurasian economic systems long before European contact.

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