Final answer:
Different civilizations connected via extensive trade networks, such as the Silk Road and trans-Saharan routes, which allowed for the exchange of goods, cultural practices, and ideas, enhancing global interconnectedness.
Step-by-step explanation:
Different civilizations were connected through trade networks that spanned across various continents and facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultural practices. As early as the empire of Sargon of Akkad, Mesopotamian traders sailed the Persian Gulf, reaching as far as the Indus River valley. The Assyrian empire was renowned for building roads and bridges that improved the connectivity of their region and supported the flow of trade.
Moreover, during the Islamic Golden Age, trans-Saharan trade routes and the Silk Road linked distant regions. Traders journeyed through interconnected paths, sharing not only commodities like silk and spices but also emerging technologies, religious beliefs, and languages, thereby fostering global interconnectedness.
The enormous reach of these trade routes – by sea reaching India and Southeast Asia, and overland extending to China and Europe – enabled civilizations to share advancements and ideas. This widespread connectivity led to significant cultural exchanges, such as the introduction of new agricultural techniques, the spread of the Arabic and Persian languages, and the arrival of Buddhism in China.