With the 6th largest economy in the world the United Kingdom relies on international trade. In 2013 the UK was the 4th largest importer and exporter in the world – clearly demonstrating that we rely on international trade for our country to thrive. But, we weren’t the first to start trading, in fact international trade can be traced back to Ancient History, and the process started with luxury goods.

Although it may seem unlikely, the story of trading starts with a camel – when Arabic nomads figured out how to domesticate them, camels soon went from being merely a mode of transport, to a key component of international trade with the movement of spices and silk from the far east.