Introduction : geographical and historical background -- The world economy at the turn of the first millennium -- World trade 1000-1500 : the economic consequences of Genghis Khan -- World Trade 1500-1650 : old world trade and new world silver -- World trade 1650-1780 : the age of mercantilism...

This paper provides a summary of what is known about trends in international commodity market integration during the second half of the second millennium. The range of goods which have been traded between continents since the Voyages of Discovery has steadily increased over time, and there has...