Trade deals with transactions for goods and services. Trade has historically been one of the chief ways in which individuals have interacted with each other. Trade is one of the main ways that countries interact with each other, as well as individuals interact with each other.
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Where was the furthest extent of Arabian trade explorations?
Traders from Arabia travelled to and traded with Roman and Asian empires and this Nabataean Sea Merchants article. How far did Arabian traders travel - where was the furthest extent of their ...
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+50
What was traded on the Chicago Board of Trade in the mid 1800s?
The Chicago Board of Trade was the world's first futures and options exchange, trading various kinds of commodities (I think mostly agricultural, but I'm not sure). When it first opened in 1848, what ...
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How big was the kapa trade out of Hawaii?
The production of kapa bark cloth was a major industry in premodern Hawaii. Once Hawaii was opened to the outside world (1778 and onwards), was kapa exported from Hawaii? Was it a significant trade ...
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127 views
When did retailers stop wrapping purchases in paper and twine?
Listening to stories from relatives, it sounds like it was a near-universal practice (in the US, before the 1970s) to wrap retail purchases with brown paper and twine. Searching for information about ...
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Medieval Saharan Caravan Navigation
During the medieval times, trade caravans using camels criss crossed the Sahara and Meghreb. For example, salt caravans from the Empire of Mali to the near east.
I've wondered for a long time how ...
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How did ancient Nomadic communities conduct trade?
Given that nomads are always on the move, how would you conduct trade with one another? Or maybe a better question did they even conduct trade with one another?
Were there always cities/villages ...
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Could medieval European merchants travel through the Islamic world?
I've heard that the Islamic world was closed to European merchants in the Middle Ages. Is this true? If so, when did it close and when did it open again?
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Is there a link between national debt/trade deficit and starting a war?
I saw in an article mentioning that there is a link between national debt and starting wars I don't recall where I've seen it mentioned to look for further references on the matter.
Are there known ...
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86 views
Was there an export industry of papyrus from ancient Egypt?
While researching the orphism question I came across a mention of the Derveni Papyrus. While its content is highly interesting, I got curious as to how a papyrus showed up in 4th century BCE Macedonia ...
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6answers
319 views
Why didn't the silk road run north of the Black Sea?
I have read many times that the only way for Europeans to get to China, or vice versa, was through Anatolia and Persia. This gave Istanbul an advantage in throttling trade, as well as Mesopotamia and ...
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153 views
Status of merchants in feudal Europe
What was the status of merchants during the feudal age in Europe? Did they, like peasants, serve/have allegiance to certain land owning lord? If yes, do they have different status or privileges from ...
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The value of spice trade during the age of exploration
One of the initial motivations for the Europeans in sending exploration voyages was to find cheap spices. To be worth such expensive and risky mission, spices must have been worth a lot and must have ...
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When was grass seed first imported specifically for aesthetic reasons?
Wikipedia states that the term lawn dates to no earlier than the 16th century, and that in early 17th century Europe the concept of a closely cut lawn was born. I understand that certain luxuries were ...
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How did people acquire things in the pre-Roman Celtic world?
Today, when you want to acquire something that you don't make yourself, you buy it with money. How did people acquire things in the pre-Roman Celtic world?
Let's say you wanted to acquire something ...
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1answer
71 views
Is there a different view by political-scientist in history that printing more bill is different from adding few more zeros in a bill [closed]
Is there a different view by political-scientist in history mention that printing more bill is different from adding few more zeros on the bill. I know some Africa country tend to doing that.
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62 views
Book on history of international trade
I have just finished reading the book Taipan by James Clavell and I am fascinated by the history of International Trade and merchants and how they have affected the course of history. Can I get a ...
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614 views
When was Silver ever more valuable than Gold?
These days we pretty much take it as a given that gold is more valuable than silver. The obvious example is the Olympics and other such competitions that give "gold" medals for first place and ...
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2answers
604 views
How did Europeans first acquire gunpowder?
I know that gunpowder was first invented in China around the 10th century, and it seems that gunpowder likely made its way to Europe via the "Silk Road." However, there doesn't seem to be a ton of ...
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610 views
When and where was salt as valuable as gold?
I have often heard that gold and salt were sometimes considered of equal value. When and where did that occur?
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Why did China shut itself out of the world in the 15th century?
After a period of maritime explorations (see Zheng He) in the early 15th century, the Ming Dynasty started shutting the Middle Kingdom out of the rest of the world. This of course continued with the ...
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2answers
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Has mercantilism ever been successful?
Mercantilism, which includes protectionism, industrial policy, capital controls, and other distortions to trade, is generally viewed by economists today as unsound economic policy. An overwhelming ...
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3answers
264 views
First evidence for replacement of barter trade by local abstract currency?
What were the first local currency systems in history we have detailed information on? I dont think it was gold/silver or other hard to produce materials. Probably these became more important ...
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226 views
First evidence of intercontinental or cross-cultural trade?
Probably this happened several times and maybe even failed and broke up in different regions. What hints and proofs do we have of the earliest succesful intercontinental trade relations? I assume ...
