   #copyright

Radhanite

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: General history

   The Radhanites (also Radanites; Hebrew sing. רדהני, Radhani, pl. רדהנים
   Radhanim; Arabic الرذنية, ar-Raðaniyya) were medieval Jewish merchants.
   Whether the term, which is used by only a limited number of primary
   sources, refers to a specific guild, or a clan, or is a generic term
   for Jewish merchants in the trans- Eurasian trade network is unclear.
   Jewish merchants dominated trade between the Christian and Islamic
   worlds during the early Middle Ages (approx. 600–1000). Many trade
   routes previously established under the Roman Empire continued to
   function during that period largely through their efforts. Their trade
   network covered much of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Central
   Asia and parts of India and China.

Etymology

   Several etymologies have been suggested for the word "Radhanite". Many
   scholars, including Barbier de Meynard and Moshe Gil, believe it refers
   to a district in Mesopotamia called "the land of Radhan" in Arabic and
   Hebrew texts of the period.^ Others maintain that their centre was the
   city of Rayy (Rhages) in northern Persia.^ Cecil Roth and Claude Cahen,
   among others, make the same claim about the Rhône River valley in
   France, which is Rhodanus in Latin. The latter claim that the centre of
   Radhanite activity was likely in France as all of their trade routes
   began there.^ Still others maintain that the name derives from the
   Persian terms rah "way, path" and dān "one who knows", meaning "one who
   knows the way".^ English-language (or Western) sources added the suffix
   -ite to the term, as is done with ethnonyms or names derived from place
   names.

Activities

   The activities of the Radhanites are documented by Abū l-Qasim Ubaid
   Allah ibn Khordadbeh, the Director of Posts and Police (spymaster and
   postman) for the province of Jibal under the Abbasid Caliph al-Mu'tamid
   (ruled 869–885), when he wrote Kitab al-Masalik wal-Mamalik ("The Book
   of Roads and Kingdoms"), probably around 870. Ibn Khordadbeh described
   the Radhanites as sophisticated and multilingual. He outlined four main
   trade routes utilized by the Radhanites in their journeys. All four
   began in the Rhône Valley of France and terminated in China. The
   commodities carried by the Radhanites were primarily those which
   combined small bulk and high demand, including spices, perfumes,
   jewelry, and silk. They are also described as transporting oils,
   incense, steel weapons, furs, and slaves (in particular, Saqāliba).

Text of Ibn Khordadbeh's account

   Map of Eurasia showing the trade network of the Radhanites (in blue),
   c. 870, as reported in the account of ibn Khordadbeh in the Book of
   Roads and Kingdoms. Other trade routes of the period shown in purple.
   Enlarge
   Map of Eurasia showing the trade network of the Radhanites (in blue),
   c. 870, as reported in the account of ibn Khordadbeh in the Book of
   Roads and Kingdoms. Other trade routes of the period shown in purple.

          These merchants speak Arabic, Persian, Roman, ^the Frank,
          ^Spanish, and Slav languages. They journey from West to East,
          from East to West, partly on land, partly by sea. They transport
          from the West eunuchs, female slaves, boys, brocade, castor,
          marten and other furs, and swords. They take ship from Firanja
          (France^ ), on the Western Sea, and make for Farama ( Pelusium).
          There they load their goods on camel-back and go by land to
          al-Kolzum ( Suez), a distance of twenty-five farsakhs (
          parasangs). They embark in the East Sea and sail from al-Kolzum
          to al-Jar (port of Medina) and al-Jeddah, then they go to Sind,
          India, and China. On their return from China they carry back
          musk, aloes, camphor, cinnamon, and other products of the
          Eastern countries to al-Kolzum and bring them back to Farama,
          where they again embark on the Western Sea. Some make sail for
          Constantinople to sell their goods to the Romans; others go to
          the palace of the King of the Franks to place their goods.
          Sometimes these Jew merchants, when embarking from the land of
          the Franks, on the Western Sea, make for Antioch (at the head of
          the Orontes River); thence by land to al-Jabia ( al-Hanaya on
          the bank of the Euphrates), where they arrive after three days’
          march. There they embark on the Euphrates and reach Baghdad,
          whence they sail down the Tigris, to al-Obolla. From al-Obolla
          they sail for Oman, Sind, Hind, and China…

          These different journeys can also be made by land. The merchants
          that start from Spain or France go to Sus al-Aksa (in Morocco)
          and then to Tangier, whence they walk to Kairouan and the
          capital of Egypt. Thence they go to ar- Ramla, visit Damascus,
          al- Kufa, Baghdad, and al- Basra, cross Ahwaz, Fars, Kirman,
          Sind, Hind, and arrive in China.
          Sometimes, also, they take the route behind Rome^ and, passing
          through the country of the Slavs, arrive at Khamlidj, the
          capital of the Khazars. They embark on the Jorjan Sea, arrive at
          Balkh, betake themselves from there across the Oxus, and
          continue their jouney toward Yurt, Toghuzghuz, and from there to
          China.^

Historical significance

   A caravan of dromedaries in Algeria. Much of the Radhanites' overland
   trade between Tangier and Mesopotamia would have been transported by
   camel.
   Enlarge
   A caravan of dromedaries in Algeria. Much of the Radhanites' overland
   trade between Tangier and Mesopotamia would have been transported by
   camel.

   During the Early Middle Ages the Islamic policies of the Middle East
   and North Africa and the Christian kingdoms of Europe often banned each
   others' merchants from entering their ports.^ Corsairs of both sides
   raided the shipping of their adversaries at will. The Radhanites
   functioned as neutral go-betweens, keeping open the lines of
   communication and trade between the lands of the old Roman Empire and
   the Far East. As a result of the revenue they brought, Jewish merchants
   enjoyed significant privileges under the early Carolingians in France
   and throughout the Muslim world, a fact that greatly vexed the local
   Church authorities.

   While most trade between Europe and East Asia had historically been
   conducted via Persian and Central Asian intermediaries, the Radhanites
   were among the first to establish a trade network which stretched from
   Western Europe to Eastern Asia.^ More remarkable still, they engaged in
   this trade regularly and over an extended period of time, centuries
   before Marco Polo and ibn Battuta brought their tales of travel in the
   Orient to the Christians and the Muslims, respectively. Indeed, ibn
   Battuta is believed to have travelled with the Muslim traders who
   travelled to the Orient on routes similar to those used by the
   Radhanites.

   While traditionally many historians believed that the art of Chinese
   paper-making had been transmitted to Europe via Arab merchants who got
   the secret from prisoners of war taken at Talas, some believe that
   Jewish merchants such as the Radhanites were instrumental in bringing
   paper-making west.^ Joseph of Spain, possibly a Radhanite, is credited
   by some sources with introducing the so-called Hindu-Arabic numerals
   from India to Europe.^ Historically, Jewish communities used letters of
   credit to transport large quantities of money without the risk of theft
   from at least classical times.^ This system was developed and put into
   force on an unprecedented scale by medieval Jewish merchants such as
   the Radhanites; if so, they may be counted among the precursors to the
   banks that arose during the late Middle Ages and early modern period.^

   Some scholars believe that the Radhanites may have played a role in the
   conversion of the Khazars to Judaism.^ In addition, they may have
   helped establish Jewish communities at various points along their trade
   routes, and were probably involved in the early Jewish settlement of
   Eastern Europe, Central Asia, China and India.
   Much of the Radhanites' Indian Ocean trade would have been carried out
   through coastal cargo ships such as this dhow.
   Enlarge
   Much of the Radhanites' Indian Ocean trade would have been carried out
   through coastal cargo ships such as this dhow.

   Besides ibn Khordadbeh, the Radhanites are mentioned by name only by a
   handful of sources. Ibn al-Faqih's early tenth century Kitab al-Buldan
   ("Book of the Countries") mentions them, but much of ibn al-Faqih's
   information was derived from ibn Khordadbeh's work. Sefer ha-Dinim, a
   Hebrew account of the travels of Yehuda ben Meir of Mainz, named
   Przemyśl and Kiev as trading sites along the Radhanite route. In the
   early twelfth century, a French-Jewish trader named Yitzhak Dorbelo
   wrote that he travelled with Radhanite merchants to Poland.^

The end of the Radhanite age

   The fall of the Tang Dynasty of China in 908 and the destruction of the
   Khazar Khaganate some sixty years later led to widespread chaos in
   Inner Eurasia, the Caucasus and China. Trade routes became unstable and
   unsafe, a situation exacerbated by Turkic invasions of Persia and the
   Middle East, and the Silk Road largely collapsed for centuries.
   Moreover, the fragmentation of the Islamic world (and to a lesser
   extent, Christendom) into small states provided more opportunities for
   non-Jews to enter the market. This period saw the rise of the
   mercantile Italian city-states, especially Genoa, Venice, Pisa, and
   Amalfi, who viewed the Radhanites as unwanted competitors.

   The economy of Europe was profoundly affected by the disappearance of
   the Radhanites. For example, documentary evidence indicates that many
   spices in regular use during the early Middle Ages completely
   disappeared from European tables in the 900s. Jews had previously, in
   large parts of Western Europe, enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the spice
   trade.^

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radhanite"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
