Original: It was an important route for merchants and travelers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region -- the Mesopotamian , Egyptian , Phoenician , Carthaginian , Iberian , Greek , Illyrian , Thracian , Levantine , Gallic , Roman , Arabic , Berber , Jewish , Slavic and Turkish cultures .
Simplified: Above all , it was the superhighway of transport in ancient times , allowing for trade and cultural exchange between peoples of the region -- Phoenicians , Egyptians , Carthaginians , Greeks , Romans , and the Middle East ( Arab\/Persian\/Semitic ) cultures .