Trade Networks Research Articles

Military and Ethnic Identity Through Pottery: A Study of Batavian Units in Dacia and Pannonia

Abstract Natives of the Low Rhine region, the Batavi were a community of ethnic soldiers engaged in a treaty with Rome, overseeing a heavy supply of men to the Roman auxiliary units. The present article examines the pottery discovered at and retrieved from three sites associated with Batavian auxilia: Războieni, Adony, and Romita. Their status as military sites shaped around the consumption habits of Batavian auxiliary troops makes them comparable. The comprehensive examination of pottery consumption patterns provides valuable insights into the dynamics of material culture in Dacia and Pannonia, facilitating our understanding of supply networks, consumption preferences, and cultural interactions within these frontier regions. The quantitative analyses of fabric and form distributions reveal distinctive trends at each site, reflecting variations in local production, regional trade networks, and social practices. The qualitative interpretations highlight the significance of certain vessel types and their cultural associations. While in the overall perspective, they emphasise the similarity between pottery consumption at the three forts shaped by military presence and regional trade networks, they also highlight potential markers of Batavian identity within the auxiliary units stationed there. By contextualising pottery within broader historical and archaeological frameworks, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the cultural aspects of auxilia.

Effects of simplicial centrality on robustness of higher-order multiplex world trade networks

Abstract World trade networks are exhaustively described by pairwise interactions, and overlook higher-order structure from the outcome of collective interactions at the level of groups of nodes like multilateral trade agreements. To address this limitation, \textcolor{red}{we collect multiplex world trade networks, including the bilateral regional trade agreement network, which represents pairwise interactions; the multilateral regional trade agreement network, which naturally represents a higher-order network structure; and the import and export trade network, which represents pairwise interactions and additional complexities.} The analysis of simplicial centrality, including degree, closeness, and subgraph at 0, 1, and 2-simplex \textcolor{red}{levels, reveals that intra-level correlations are high, while inter-levels may exhibit significant disparities.} Nodes with low centrality at higher-order levels could influence network robustness due to the diversity of interactions and higher-order dependencies. Simplicial centrality on robustness of multiplex world trade networks under random and targeted attacks reveals that the complex connectivity of higher-order levels renders them more vulnerable post-attack. An optimization strategy of the rebalancing of network centrality is proposed to enhance the robustness, and the simulation shows risks posed to central nodes are minimized and opportunities for peripheral nodes to partake in global trade are broadened.

A cross-cultural perspective on ornamental serpentine patterns along the Great Silk Road

This article explores the Silk Road, one of history’s most significant trade networks that bridged China and the West. The route fostered a vibrant cultural exchange, visible in the art and ornamental patterns that developed along its path. This study provides a cross-cultural perspective on ornamentation within the Great Steppe, particularly focusing on Kazakh baskur—a decorative band traditionally used in nomadic dwellings. Examining the symbolic and functional roles of baskur, the paper highlights both its artistic legacy and its broader cultural impact across the Silk Road region.

Disruption of Pastoral Nomadism: The Impacts of Russian Colonialism on the Kazakh Steppe during the 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ Centuries

This study examines the multifaceted impacts of Russian colonization on the Kazakh Steppes during the 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ centuries. The colonization process caused significant destruction in various fields in the region, including migration routes, livestock herds, socioeconomic life, trade networks, housing and dietary patterns of nomadic communities. Russian expansionism, aimed at establishing control over the steppe, led to the blockage of ancient migration routes and the restriction of nomadic economic resources. The blockage of migration routes, forced transition to capitalism, forced sedentarization and interaction with sedentary life transformed the livestock herds of the nomads. Socio-economic life and trade were restructured by the Tsardom for reasons such as integration into the Russian Empire market, change of commercial centers and concentration of wealth. The changing structure of pastoral nomadism also led to transformations in housing and diet. Comprehending the complex dynamics of Russian colonialism on the Kazakh Steppe will reveal the destruction of nomadic life by scrutinizing the historical and contemporary sociocultural landscape of the region.

The Dynamics of Lampung Pepper Trade Network in 16th - 18th Century

The Dynamics of Lampung Pepper Trade Network in 16th - 18th Century

E-Business and supply chain integration is the ultimate online shopping

E-business has risen as a key empowering influence to drive supply chain integration. Organizations can use the internet to achieve worldwide visibility on their extended trading network. The influence of e-business on supply chain integration can be defined laterally the dimensions of information integration, synchronized planning, coordinated workflow, and new business models. An Important value can be added to e-business by enabling supply chain integration. In this report, the author has taken a popular rising e-commerce company from Bangladesh. The name of this company is AJKERDEAL. It is a Bangladeshi online retail company, that focuses on a low-cost-oriented supply chain to maintain cost efficiency. The company's success is attributed to its superior supply chain practices over local competitors. However, Western multinational retailers may struggle in Bangladesh due to their differing values, cultures, and beliefs, potentially jeopardizing their key market.

Nagapattinam Port: the Catalyst of Cultural and Diplomatic Exchange Between Indian Sub-continent and Indonesian Archipelago

Abstract: -This paper explores the dynamic interactions between the Shailendra dynasty of Southeast Asia and the Chola dynasty of South India from the 8th to 11th centuries CE. The Shailendras, who were known for deep ties with cholas. The Cholas, expanded their influence across South India and beyond, maintained a significant relationship leading to cultural, economic, and religious exchanges. The paper highlights Nagapattinam's pivotal role as vibrant trade hub that facilitated these exchanges. Through the exchange of gifts and the construction of Buddhist institutions, like those which were funded by the Srivijayan rulers. The study demonstrates how these reciprocations fostered a shared cultural heritage and strengthened maritime trade networks. This trade-off underscores the role of economic and cultural hubs in bridging regions leading to enhancing diplomatic relations.

Material taxonomies and beads on the East African coast, seventh-fifteenth centuries AD

ABSTRACT Beads found in assemblages from the coast of East Africa have received significant archaeological attention. Glass beads were imported in large numbers to coastal sites from Indian Ocean trade networks from at least the seventh century AD; they give an important indication of the volume and direction of trade. Beads produced locally from materials such as shell have normally been understood in the same ways, seen as objects of trade for partners within and beyond Africa. In this paper, bead evidence is instead considered as an index of local values and uses. Beads of different materials are reviewed and a more flexible approach to taxonomy is suggested, highlighting local categories of object that do not entirely align with archaeological taxonomies based on raw materials and technology. A set of skeuomorphic beads from the Tanzanian sites of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara is considered as an example of how local categories might transcend materials-based taxonomic systems.

Overlapping community detection in weighted networks via hierarchical clustering.

In real-world networks, community structures often appear as tightly connected clusters of nodes, with recent studies suggesting a hierarchical organization where larger groups subdivide into smaller ones across different levels. This hierarchical structure is particularly complex in trade networks, where actors typically belong to multiple communities due to diverse business relationships and contracts. To address this complexity, we present a novel algorithm for detecting hierarchical structures of overlapping communities in weighted networks, focusing on the interdependency between internal and external quality metrics for evaluating the detected communities. The proposed Graph Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering (GHAC) approach utilizes maximal cliques as the basis units for hierarchical clustering. The algorithm measures dissimilarities between clusters using the minimal closed trail distance (CT-distance) and the size of maximal cliques within overlaps, capturing the density and connectivity of nodes. Through extensive experiments on synthetic networks with known ground truth, we demonstrate that the adjusted Silhouette index is the most reliable internal metric for determining the optimal cut in the dendrogram. Experimental results indicate that the GHAC method is competitive with widely used community detection techniques, particularly in networks with highly overlapping communities. The method effectively reveals the hierarchical structure of communities in weighted networks, as demonstrated by its application to the OECD weighted trade network, which describes the balanced trade value of bilateral trade relations.

Improved similarity-based link prediction methods in trade networks by integrating community-based popularity

Link prediction is a vital aspect of analyzing network evolution and identifying potential connections in complex networks. Previous studies have primarily focused on the information of common neighbors between nodes, often overlooking the inherent attributes of nodes. This study proposes community-based popularity, an attribute of nodes that considers changes in the neighborhood over time in conjunction with the community structure. Based on this attribute, we improve similarity-based link prediction methods. The experiments utilized unweighted directed networks from three distinct types of trade to evaluate the effectiveness of the improved link prediction methods. The training and probe sets were divided in chronological order. The experimental results show that the improved methods provide better link prediction results than the compared methods.

Resilience assessment of the aircraft manufacturing core products supply chain: the international trade network perspective

Resilience assessment of the aircraft manufacturing core products supply chain: the international trade network perspective

Rice, lamb and tuna. Food processing and acquiring strategies in the medieval harbour city of Qalhât (Oman): Bioarchaeological evidence from the twin houses' building (B94)

The rise of the kingdom of Hormuz during the 13th–15th c. CE led to the development of harbour cities such as Qalhât (Sultanate of Oman), considered as the kingdom's second capital. However, although some textual sources are available, a lack of bioarchaeological analysis means that the food-processing activities and subsistence strategies set up to feed this urban population are still largely unknown. Multi-proxy analyses, including zoological, ichthyological, and botanical, have therefore been undertaken on the twin house building (B94) at the site of Qalhât. Cross-referencing these data allowed for the identification of several food processing activities and the function of some rooms due to their spatial distribution. In addition, these data give new insights into fishing practices (intensively exploited pelagic zone) and the composition and management of agropastoral systems (in the form of oasis date palm gardens, using a combination of crops, weeds and livestock), as well as food acquiring strategies that relied on the importation of plant products via the long-distance maritime trade networks of the western Indian Ocean. The study of building (B94) has provided major data to understand the way of life of the inhabitants of this region for this period, still too little studied.

Evolution and sustainability analysis of global tungsten trade pattern from the perspective of industry chain

Tungsten is an irreplaceable primary material and strategic resource for national economic development and modern national defense security. The endowment of tungsten ore resources in various countries is different; we should not only focus on the availability of tungsten ore itself but also the sustainability of its entire process from upstream supply to downstream industry demand. Analyzing the evolution of the supply and demand patterns of tungsten ore trade from the perspective of the industrial chain, identifying the key supply and demand subjects, and exploring the influencing factors of trade has become an important research topic. Therefore, we construct global tungsten trade networks based on the industrial chain, analyze its overall characteristics, explore critical trade supply and demand entities, and identify China’s trade position. We got some meaningful results: (1) The global tungsten trade networks have prominent power-law distribution characteristics. The trend of trade globalization is evident, but the dominance is still in the hands of a few developed countries or developing countries with developed manufacturing industries. (2) In different parts of the tungsten industry chain, the impact of resource endowment, industrial technology level, and geographical location on the country’s trade role is different. (3) China’s position in the global tungsten resource industry chain and value chain is constantly improving, but there is still a risk of high-end technology being “stuck.” This provides some suggestions for the systematic understanding of the evolution of the trade pattern of the tungsten industry chain and how countries occupy a dominant position in the game of tungsten resources.

Comparing the register of seventeenth-century Dutch business letters to private letters: formulaic language and French-origin items

Abstract In this article, we examine, quantitatively and qualitatively, Dutch business letters written by merchants, focusing on formulaic phrases and French suffix borrowing. The letters are part of the Prize Papers, the collection of documents confiscated by the English during times of warfare. We compare these business letters to private letters from the same source, and address the question whether the business letters constitute a particular register. The business letters, written by upper and upper-middle ranked male merchants from the seventeenth century, appear to differ from private letters written by people with a similar social profile. Frequent formulae highly characteristic of seventeenth-century private letters occur to a much lesser extent, if at all, in the business letters. Other formulae, some including Romance origin items (Laus deo, saluut, cordiale), occur more frequently in the business letters. The frequency of verbs with the French-origin suffix -eren is found to be higher in the business letters than in the private letters. Functional explanations are presented for these register differences: formulaic language is correlated with writing experience, and the use of French-origin items may be connected to the common vocabulary used in international trading networks. Similarities in phrasing are also revealed in a qualitative analysis of examples of private and business letters by the same writer. This finding demonstrates how similar private and business letters often were, thus challenging the idea of distinct registers.

Distinct clubs or one big party? Global value chain convergence: Supply concentration and susceptibility to supply shocks

Research background: Recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, raise important questions about the stability of supply chains and their resilience to supply shocks. Purpose of the article: This paper investigates convergence clubs in global value chains, focusing on supply concentration measured with the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. Methods: Using country-sector pairs from the OECD’s ICIO database, we employed the Phillips-Sul (2007) algorithm with the Schnurbus-Haupt-Meier (2017) augmentation to distinguish convergence clubs in the global trade network. Findings & value added: Our main policy-related finding is that there are two main convergence clubs — one covering roughly 80% of all units and the other one close to 20% (the number of divergent sectors is practically negligible). The dominant club is characterised by high and growing concentration, which poses a risk to the trade network, as, over time, it makes trading partners more susceptible to supply-side shocks. Since the global economy has proven to be surprisingly homogenous in terms of concentration patterns, it seems justified that growing concentration could be considered a systemic feature for future theoretical international trade models. Our main methodological finding is that the WIOD database, which is still used as a standard for such analyses, may be misleading due to its limitations. While the results based on the ICIO and WIOD databases do not align, ICIO seems to be superior in terms of coverage.

Global Freight Transport Emissions Responsibility.

The transportation of freight by land, sea and air underpins the complex network of global trade in physical commodities. Greenhouse gas emissions from freight transportation are a significant component of global emissions and are predicted to grow in coming decades. However, the inclusion of freight transport in emissions accounts and environmental impact studies is often incomplete. Both data availability and difficulties in allocating freight emissions to specific commodity trades contributes to this. In this study, international freight movements by transport mode are estimated from the bottom-up by imputing global freight transport routes. Emissions are estimated from these freight movements and integrated with a global multiregional input-output model. This enables the calculation of carbon footprints that are complete with respect to freight emissions. We estimate that global freight transport emissions contributed 2.8 Gt CO2-equiv in 2012, or about 41% of total transport emissions. In general, freight footprints contribute about 9% to national emissions footprints. While trade in physical commodities (such as construction materials, food and fossil fuels) are associated with the largest embodied freight emissions, services (such as public administration, education and health) also require significant freight transport. Using a consumption-based allocation of freight transport emissions allows the decarbonisation of other sectors to be complementary to the decarbonisation of transport through reduction in demand, for example through material efficiency strategies. To drive decarbonisation in maritime transport it is critical to include bunker emissions in national emissions inventories, thereby completing the system boundary.

Envoy Trade and the End of the Tribute Relationship between Vietnam and China, 1802–1885

ABSTRACT This article analyses the commercial activities between Vietnam and China that were conducted by diplomatic envoys (ambassadors) in the 19th century, focusing on three aspects: those that envoys coordinated during tribute missions or diplomatic visits, the trade that they facilitated in the form of buying and selling goods in the other country, and the commerce that occurred when envoys escorted distressed or expelled travellers back to their home country. The analysis reveals that the trade conducted by ambassadors through most of the century was a two-way commercial exchange and driven by mutual interests. However, China’s demand for foreign goods was significantly less pronounced than that of Vietnam. Furthermore, there was a notable degree of asymmetry in benefits and an unequal level of control and influence in this form of trade. This asymmetry, along with the increasingly diverse forms of exchange between China and other countries (especially the growth of private trade) and the expanding role of Western merchants in the regional trade network, eventually ended the dominance of ambassadorial trade in commercial relations between Vietnam and China by the late 19th century. It also contributed to the end of the centuries-long tributary relationship between the two countries.

Author Correction: Establishing the robustness of chip trade networks by dynamically considering topology and risk cascading propagation

Author Correction: Establishing the robustness of chip trade networks by dynamically considering topology and risk cascading propagation

Global hake production and trade: Insights for food security and supply chain resilience

Hake, a key species in global seafood trade, substantially influences market dynamics and consumption patterns. This study delves into the global hake trade network (HGTN), spotlighting the roles and connections of key countries such as Spain, Namibia, Argentina, South Africa, the USA, and Italy, with Spain being the primary importer and countries like Namibia and South Africa notable exporters. Our findings unveil a multifaceted trade network, with Spain and Namibia as central nodes, and reveal growth in trade volume and value, signifying an evolving marketplace. The network’s susceptibility to economic, political, and ecological shifts underscores the necessity for resilient, adaptable trading practices to sustainably manage hake trade. Our findings emphasise the importance of managing resources and maintaining market balance to support global food security and reflect the dynamic seafood industry.

Production perspectives of a high-status polychrome jewellery set from the Hunnic period (mid-5th century AD) Carpathian Basin

Fifty years after the discovery of the Regöly grave, the emblematic Hunnic period archaeological assemblage from Hungary, an extensive scientific investigation was performed on the polychrome dress accessories of the high-status woman, often referred to as the “Princess of Regöly”, buried there. The multi-instrumental analyses aimed to characterise material and technological aspects of the gemstone-inlaid artefacts (a set of a pair of bow-brooches and a belt buckle), i.e., the manufacturing and decorative techniques as well as the chemical and mineralogical compositions. The non-destructive and non-invasive gemmological and geochemical analyses applied optical microscopes, handheld XRF, SEM-EDX and Raman microspectrometer. This study provides the first comprehensive examination of the Hunnic period polychrome jewellery, and highlights the potential of combining surface and subsurface analyses to specify garnet provenances. It presents the first evidence of use of antique and early medieval garnet sources during the early Migration period. The findings enhance understanding of the garnet supply chain and trade network, the production organisation and potential workshop connections. Significant differences of the brooches and the buckle reveal varying levels of luxury among the elite, providing insight into the social context of the polychrome jewellery associated with the “Princess of Regöly”.