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There are many reasons why ancient people traded. Commonly, they traded
because of the specialization of labor. This meant that
different people did different jobs that fit with their skills, interests, and
resources. People no longer had to do everything for
themselves. In order to get what other people made, they
traded. They also traded to get items that were not produced
in their country, (like bronze) and some items which were only found in a few
places (like Olive Oil). Having specific labor skills and raw
materials also allowed people in some countries to manufacture items
not made anywhere else, such as Metal in Phoenicia, or Bronze
Statues in Greece. Everyone who wanted these items had to get
them from countries where they were produced. |
In some places
some items were made in larger amounts. The extra amounts were sold to people who didn't make enough for
them selves. A country may have found it easier to buy goods that
were expensive for the country to make and to exchange other
items that they could produce easily.
People needed
to buy as well as sell. The person who sold to someone in a
foreign country however, may not want to buy other goods or service themselves. In
this case they would receive money for their products. Therefore
money was created so that people could trade between neighbours and
countries.
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