Lee 1

Trade Journal 
By: Jacob Lee 
 Lee 2

April 15, 333 CE 

Byzantine Empire 
Greetings, to whom this may concern, my name is Euthymius Cerularius. I am ​a 
middle class merchant in Constantinople who commonly sells olive oil and many other 
luxuries such as wine, honey, and fish sauce.​ ​I am a Christian 
at heart and I believe that God is the creator of all things and 
is to be worshipped.​ I also classify myself as a literate and well 
liked individual. 
I am in no desperation in terms of money. I, luckily out 
of us lesser known merchants, am fortunate to not be 
distraught with the idea of instability; however,​ I believe that 
everyone is destined for greatness under God's rule, and Jesus 
will guide me to happiness if I pursue more adventurous 
experiences. I hope on my adventure of the world that many 
pleasures such as wealth and individuality will come, and I am 
always up for self improvement. 
I wish to clarify that I purchase that of which I need. In my current state, I only 
desire to keep 2 horses at bay, as they will do the 
main lifting of my luggage. They are my prized 
possessions, and cost me a small fortune, as they 
are ​Central Asian Horses​. Although it may be risky, ​I 
will travel east, and my adventure will lie there. I 
shall head east to Anatolia, and make my way 
through the Sasanian Empire, head south and reach 
Egypt, then take a sea-vessel to travel to ​Baghdad 
and visit some smaller trading outposts on the way, 
then follow my way to and through the Kushan Empire, and then head back home to 
Constantinople.​ Many people believe that Constantinople is the center of Europe and 
the center of ​Imports​ and ​Exports​. On my journey, though, I will ​export​ goods. 
 
The reason I write this journal is to aid my descendants in their travels of 
merchant-hood. I know it's not a simple nor easy task, and so I wish to ease the pain 
and guide my descendants through my eyes and my path of the world we live in today. 
Gaining and selling items is no easy task, and I would like to share my experience with 
my children. I wish for my children to carry on my story before I pass away. 
 
 
 
 Lee 3

My Path 

 
 
 
 
 Lee 4

April 17, 333 CE 

Byzantine Empire 
 
I have finished packing all my bags today, and I am ready. My horses are well 
fed, and not overfed. My entire trip is mostly self-paid, and I carry as much as I can 
carry. The reason why I do not want to cross the​ Arabian deser​t is that I fear that too 
much exposure to heat could kill me and my horse. I cannot afford a camel, and the 
amount of effort to maintain it is too much for me to handle including my horses. 
Luckily, I am traveling with 10 different ​merchants​ and ​2 missionaries​, some of which 
are different cultures. I never got to know their names, but we all agreed to wish each 
other the best of luck. The reason why we travel together is to avoid the ongoing 
bandits that appear on this road. ​The Sasanian Empire​ allowed us to go through, and 
my horses provided a great means of transportation to travel. 
 
Today, we start using a boat to transport us from ​Constantinople to Anatolia​. 
There is a water gap in between, and our animals cannot cross. I will write down more 
details when they come, but for now, I myself require resting as the days to come will 
be tiresome. For now, here are some products I shall carry on me. They are primarily 
wine, fish sauce, and honey. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lee 5

 
June 26, 333 CE 
Byzantine Empire 
 
It has been a long time since I wrote in my journal. Things have been pretty 
uneventful since I last wrote a log. 
Primarily, all of us prayed, and spoke 
great tales of adventures and journeys 
we have never heard of before. There 
were few occasions where we’d stop by 
small trading outposts and gather 
more materials for our journey. I 
traded some of my wine for salt​, that 
could be used on our meat. 
We had just arrived in Cairo, 
Egypt a couple days ago, and have 
made a stop to trade some items. 
Luckily, I found some ​high quantities 
of ​silk​. It seemed to be an Arabian trader, and he had told me his goods come from far 
away; he spoke very good greek. He sold plenty of items, but most of which were ​gold 
and slaves​. I had no use in either, so I decided to decline his offer and thank him for 
the goods. I never got to know his name, but he did tell me about ​his culture, and how 
the temples and pharaohs represented their finest and nationwide treasure. 
 
Most of the other goods I did not want to buy. They seemed poorly made by 
small artisans, and while I do believe I should aid them in their time of need, I have 
bigger problems. Other than that, the city was gorgeous, and the food there was a 
delicacy. Egypt was primarily made of mud brick. ​Sadly, there was a tax by the 
Byzantine Empire that took a small toll to my profits​. For now, I will continue 
traveling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lee 6

 
 
 
July 14, 333 CE 
Byzantine Empire 
 
Our shipping vessel wasn’t the best. It was not very well maintained, and lacked 
space, as it was an ​old egyptian rowing boat​. Nonetheless, the majority of us agreed it 
was the cheapest way to travel. The missionaries, however, said it was not 
travel-worthy, and it was unsafe for religious figures to go on. Arguments went back in 
forth that it felt like they weren’t 
even speaking greek anymore. 
Fortunately, a slave owner passed by, 
and offered to fix our ship using his 
slaves.​ We agreed and the 
missionaries paid off the boats 
repair. It took until about noon until 
the ​coerced labor​ ended, and we 
were able to board the boat. My 
horses barely fit on the boat, and 
they had to be on opposite sides to 
keep the ship afloat; both whined most nights while we were out to sea. The only guide 
we had that we could use to travel was a ​small ​astrolabe​. 
Now, that we have arrived at a small coastal trade post off the coastal line of 
Medina, I was ready to sell some of my fish sauce. Luckily, my horses made the 
traveling on land a bit easier. A portion of which I made prior to the expedition had 
lacked salt and was starting to turn bad. Fortunately, a wealthy man by the name of 
Shalsar Ghaund bought it out for ​exchange of gold​. It was a good deal and I am happy 
with the trade. He spoke little Greek, and had to get a translator to say simple things, 
such as greetings and exchange of names, and to share religions, in which he practiced 
hinduism​. He showed me through sign language the city and gave us a tour. It was a 
well lit up town and its scenery was well maintained for a Middle Eastern city near the 
salty sea. The air was somewhat dry, but it was a very nice town. ​Luckily, there was 
little to no tax to be paid, which was a blessing by itself​. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lee 7

 
 
August 21, 333 CE 
Byzantine Empire 
 
We finally reached Baghdad. The fellow traders decided to stay here for a few 
weeks to maximize profits while we are here. ​The missionaries​ said their goodbyes as 
they departed from us; it was the last time we saw contact of each other. 
As I wandered around the town, I met with some locals. Due to the intensity of 
trade, most people I met in Baghdad spoke somewhat fluent in Greek. They introduced 
me to ​the Babylon Code, and the idea of ​Credit​; the idea of borrowing and paying 
borrowed money back.​ They led me to the trading area, and it was heavily packed in 
people. There were Arabian and many other peoples from different countries. Trade 
flourished in this area. 
The items I was most interested in was the Chinese ​Porcelain​ which was sold by 
a buddhist Arabian trader. He told me that he had directly traveled to China during the 
Han Dynasty, and met several artisans that were skilled in the task, and this was a rare 
object. I was immediately sold, and I gave him a quarter of my wine for it​. ​He thanked 
me and told me some basic technologies as a bonus, such as the Chariot, and etc. 
While I was trading, I also bought from other merchants some ​sugars​ and a lot 
of ​spices​, which is a high demand and is a delicacy in the Byzantine Empire. I will 
write more later, but for now, although most of my items from the Empire is gone, I 
feel I made a profit. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lee 8

 
 
 
November 30, 333 CE 
Byzantine Empire 
 
The trip back home was scenic. There were many different landscapes on my 
journey, and my horses pulled through with all the luggage I bought from many 
merchants along the way. ​The Arabian desert was hot, but it was tolerable, as winter 
approached. The temperatures became more suitable for horses like mine. 
Walking and riding back home was more reflective than it was of rest. ​My 
horses carried my items through and through, and the quantities of valuables I had 
brought home had surely made some profit; it was most likely worth the investment to 
go on this trip. 
The trip was long and tiring, but we made it back home. It feels like an eternity, 
that passed since I was gone. I’m glad that my belongings are safe, and the trip was 
well worth the time. ​My family celebrated my safe arrival back home, and my wife 
cooked some food to celebrate my return. 
As I recall now, as I am writing this journal of mine, I have been through a lot of 
cities and small villages. ​I traded my wine, honey, and fish sauce for Salt, spices and 
sugars, porcelain, and gold.​ All of the items I brought with me will soon be traded in 
the future, but for now, I must rest as the journey was tiring and hard. 
I remember going to Medina, Baghdad, Egypt, Constantinople before my 
journey, and many small coastal and mainland villages. Medina, was especially special 
for the times I spent exploring the beautiful city, and the robust rush of the past from 
Egypt. I remember the beauty of Baghdad, and how lively it was​. Most of all, I 
remember how literate, and fortunate most of the people I met up with were. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lee 9

 
 
KEY: 
 
Political 
Intelectual 
Geographical 
Religious 
Art 
Technological 
Economical 
Societal 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lee 10

Sources  

Highlighted in Yellow: Good info that wasn’t specified on available resources. 

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Nicol, Donald MacGillivray, and John L. Teall. “Byzantine

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22 Aug. 2019, ​www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire​. 

“Roman and Byzantine Egypt (30 Bce– 642 Ce).” Encyclopædia

Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,
https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/Roman-and-Byzanti
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“Code of Hammurabi: Primary Source.” World History to 15th

Century,
http://schools.yrdsb.ca/markville.ss/history/16th/hammurabicode.
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“Medina.” Discovery Education, Funk & Wagnalls,

app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/player/6ef70f6b-211e-477f-b187-
b3581b33f593.

Al-qazzaz, Ayad. "Baghdad." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle

East and North Africa, edited by Philip Mattar, 2nd ed., vol. 1,
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WHIC&xid=68d61c3a. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019.