Which factor contributed to the rise of transregional networks during this period?

The introduction of currency as a trading medium played a significant role in the rise of transregional networks during this period. Currency facilitated trade by providing a standard measure of value that allowed for smoother and more efficient transactions across long distances. Prior to the widespread use of currency, trade often depended on barter systems, which were limited by the requirement for a double coincidence of wants. With the advent of currency, merchants could sell their goods for money and then use that money to purchase different goods from others, expanding the scope and scale of trade.

The use of currency also encouraged the growth of markets and commercial centers, which became hubs for trade across regions. As trade networks expanded, they connected various cultures and economies, fostering the exchange of not just goods but also ideas, technologies, and cultural practices.

Other factors mentioned, such as the establishment of fixed borders and the decline of nomadic lifestyles, could have influenced the nature of trade, but they did not directly contribute to the rise of transregional networks in the same fundamental way that currency did. Likewise, while the emergence of centralized governments may have provided stability or infrastructure to support trade, it was the introduction of currency that fundamentally transformed and facilitated the processes of commerce across vast distances.