| Secret Societies (IIa) Off-Ledger - Occult Economy |
In a story straight out of an Indiana Jones film, the true history of the Silk Road is one of the greatest tales of antiquity. The Silk Road was a vast network of interconnecting trade routes that stretched 4,000 miles from Europe (namely the Mediterranean) to as far south as Indonesia. For thousands of years, these land and sea routes served as the world's main method of economic and social interaction and exchange.
During the time of the Greco-Roman Empires, vast amounts of goods were traded between the Greek and Roman empires and the nations of the east, namely China. The Greeks and Romans greatly desired the many beautiful and finely made items produced by the Chinese, including silk, exotic spices, and gold-laced ceramics, china, and pottery; among other things. The method of payment most widely accepted by the Chinese and other Southeast Asian nations was gold, which was mined extensively throughout the Roman Empire.
During the centuries following the occupation of the New World, (1492 onward), the Spaniards amassed enormous amounts of gold and treasure through the plundering of the ancient indigenous populations of the Americas, i.e. the Inca and Mayan civilizations. The Spaniards actively engaged in trade along the Silk Road (the spice trade was especially lucrative for the Chinese at this time). Once again, gold became the standard method of exchange for the eastern nations.
Over thousands of years of trade along the Silk Road, the Chinese accumulated unthinkable amounts of gold, jewels, and ancient treasure. All told, China and other Southeast Asian nations managed to gain hold of a staggering 85% of the world's gold!