[SunkenCiv]

The earliest evidence of long-distance trade in obsidian occurs during the late-glacial period, in the still-open landscapes before the spread of forests, when it circulated among Epipalaeolithic hunting and foraging groups around the Fertile Crescent. Two chains of connection are already evident: obsidian from the Bingöl region of south-east Turkey reached Iraqi Kurdistan (via the Hilly Flanks route), and obsidian from the Cappadocian area of central Turkey was carried across the Taurus to the middle Euphrates and the northern Levant (the Levantine Corridor).

[LukeL]

I thought that was common sense.

[PGalt]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[COBOL2Java]

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[Wuli]

I would have thought it axiomatic that nomads, in multiple areas of the world, were the first traders.

Nomads would most likely bring some item(s) with them either not found or rare in some place they travel to, and trade them for some item found in the area they travel to; often an item rare or not found in their homeland. The naturalness of it is without question; not a “revelation”.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Thanks for posting!