Caravan (travellers)

[1] Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups helped in defense against bandits as well as in improving economies of scale in trade.

[1] Historically, caravans connecting East Asia and Europe often carried luxurious and lucrative goods, such as silks or jewelry.

The luxurious goods brought by caravans attracted many rulers along important trade routes to construct caravanserais.

These were roadside stations which supported the flow of commerce, information, and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa, and southeastern Europe, and in particular along the Silk Road.

For example, a caravan of 500 camels could only transport as much as a third or half of the goods carried by a regular Byzantine merchant sailing ship.