Short answers, pulled from the story.
By the 15,000 years ago, prehistoric humans had already established networks to transport obsidian across distances of 900 kilometres within the Mediterranean region. These early traders moved raw materials of survival and status without using coins. The system relied on trust and the shared value of a superior tool.
Hermes was the god of trade, commerce, and weights and measures in ancient Greece. In ancient Rome, Mercurius was the god of merchants whose festival was celebrated by traders on the 25th day of the fifth month. These deities oversaw the act of exchange that bound civilizations together.
The Maritime Jade Road was an extensive trading network connecting multiple areas in Southeast and East Asia that existed for at least 3,000 years. Its peak production occurred from 2000 BCE to 500 CE, making it older than the Silk Road in mainland Eurasia. The network began to wane during its final centuries from 500 CE until 1000 CE.
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama pioneered the European spice trade in 1498 when he reached Calicut after sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. Prior to this, the flow of spice into Europe from India was controlled by Islamic powers, especially Egypt. Spices brought to Europe from the Eastern world were some of the most valuable commodities for their weight, sometimes rivaling gold.
The World Trade Organization was created on the 1st of January 1995 to facilitate free trade by mandating mutual most favored nation trading status between all signatories. This followed the 1994 GATT Marrakech Agreement which specified the formation of the WTO. The organization replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to promote free trade.
The first clear evidence of trade in manufactured goods is found in southwest Asia where the exchange of obsidian and flint during the Stone Age laid the foundation for all future economic activity. This was not merely barter but the first time humans organized themselves to move resources across vast distances. The network eventually connected the Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the Levant.