Trade has been, since time immemorial, one of the main driving forces behind contact between civilizations. In this context, the Silk Road played a crucial role in connecting the Mediterranean world with the Far East. Among the many figures who contributed to this exchange, one of the earliest was Maes Titianus. This Macedonian merchant, of […]
Trade
Posted inArchaeology
Tombs of Women to Be Sold who did Not Survive the Caravan Journey 2500 Years Ago Found in the Middle of the Negev Desert
A team of researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority has made a remarkable discovery in the arid lands of the Negev Desert: a 2,500-year-old funerary complex that sheds new light on ancient trade routes and, specifically, on the possible trafficking of women at the time. The site, discovered near the Tlalim junction, contains dozens of […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Jacques Coeur, the Legendary Merchant of Fortune Who Laid the Foundations of France’s Wealth
To relieve my poverty, / my heart sometimes tells me: / “Man, do not worry so much / and do not endure such pain; / if you do not have as much as Jacques Coeur, / it is better to live under a great desk / poor, than to have been a lord / and […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Money Emerged to Facilitate Trade Between Strangers, Not to Collect Taxes, According to an Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Study
The history of money, one of humanity’s most transformative creations, has been the subject of discussion for centuries. How did this fundamental tool for the economy emerge? A recent study published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory presents a new perspective that reconfigures the debate. According to Mikael Fauvelle, author of the study, […]
Posted inArchaeology
Scientists Unravel the Origins of the Sogdians, the Enigmatic Merchants of the Silk Road
In a discovery that promises to reshape our understanding of cultural and genetic interactions along the Silk Road, an international team of researchers has unraveled the complex roots of the Sogdians, an ancient community of merchants originating from Central Asia. Using ancient DNA analysis, this groundbreaking study sheds light on their genetic and cultural legacy, […]
Posted inModern Era
The First Company in History to be Listed on a Stock Exchange
The world’s first multinational company was also the first to be listed on a stock exchange. Of course, there’s a bit of a twist here, since the first modern stock exchange — that is, one with a public market for bonds and shares — was actually founded by…yes, that very company. Not only that, but […]
Posted inGeography
By 2100, Ships Could Sail Year-Round Through the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic, Changing Geopolitics and Global Trade
A team of researchers led by Pengjun Zhao has presented a revealing report on the future of maritime trade in the Arctic, specifically along the Northern Sea Route. This study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, explores how climate change could allow navigation along this route year-round by the year 2100. Currently, Arctic […]
