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None of that debunks the reasonable assumption that a random individual from any previous century, particularly those before there were widely available means of travel other than walking and perhaps horseback, would have moved around a lot less in their lifetime than one from today. Further, I just recently watched a video of essentially an animated map showing the spread of humanity and human civilization across the globe compressed into 19 minutes, and even if you only consider "history" as beginning around 2000 BC it really did take an awful long time for trading populations to spread out from the near east+Egypt region to the rest of the world, first gradually taking in most of modern day Europe and then with a massive acceleration starting sometime around the 1600s that led to our modern idea of a world where almost no matter where you're born, you have a reasonable chance of being able to travel to another country, and of course for those of us in the developed world, a decent chance of travelling around the globe multiple times within a single lifetime. Even just 100 years ago that privilege would have been restricted to the very few.

> those of us in the developed world, a decent chance of travelling around the globe multiple times within a single lifetime. Even just 100 years ago that privilege would have been restricted to the very few

I think you’re forgetting how expensive international airfare was even in the 1980s. Traveling around the world multiple times in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s would have been very expensive compared to today (note: I’m considering airfare only, not accommodations)

Our family was basically middle class growing up but we traveled to Europe (from Australia) twice within a few years, both times in the 80s. But sure, you don't have to go a full 100 years back for that sort of luxury to be a rare thing even in wealthy countries - still, there were quite a few that made one-time journeys across half the globe at least, and many of us today have parents and even multiple grandparents that did just that of course.

> Our family was basically middle class

Most people tend to think of themselves as "middle-class". Your family may have been. Or maybe that's what you grew up with and was normal in your community but not "middle-class".

That point aside, the 1980's was the beginning of cheaper travel. In the 1950's it was the modern equivalent of $45,000 (all 'modern' prices are pre-COVID inflation adjusted Perth-to-London). It decreased by by 82% by 1980. It pretty much leveled out in the mid-1980's to today, inflation adjusted. Although the same rates your parents paid probably would have gotten them business class tickets now.

Remember though, these spices were not carried by, say one trader, from origin to destination. The trade occurred along known routes that were relatively fixed, so trading communities grew. It was there that you got the goods - not at the origin. So you can say the spices traveled, but the fixed traders didn't have to.

Cloves have been found at Syrian 4th millennium B.C. sites, Tel Mozan I think, indicating an unbroken route to Indonesia. Our ancestors were not unsophisticated.

When I was a student and wanted to visit a cryptographic workshop in 2004, I traveled Prague to Barcelona and back for, then, some 700 eur. That was by far the cheapest option, bought months in advance.

Looking at the options now, 200 eur is very doable, although there will be extra fees for luggage. But there have been almost 20 years in between! In 2004, 700 eur must have been around the average net monthly salary in CZ; now, the average net salary is almost twice as high.

So, from a purchasing power point of view, costs of flying have gone down about 7x for a Czech person, in mere 19 years.

Can you share the link to the video? I m curious now!

It is the case for most of the settled people and civilizations. Just because a few traders, monguls and sea peoples exist doesn't mean most people don't live and die within a few miles of their birthplaces. This is even true today.

A few north Korean traders does not make north Korean people an international trading culture.

> international trading culture.

It kind of does, just that the people themselves aren't terribly mobile.

Trade is goods and capital, not people.

If the hangul emperor married a perisan princess and got Persian goods, it doesn't change the status or the lives of average people. On the Indian subcontinent traders had participation from all walks of life so I'd call it way more culturally international. I'd argue royalty getting preferential treatment isn't culturally relevant for a people.

Those would probably be thought of as gifts, rather than trade.

We see even in neolithic times that people ranged far with trade goods and community, such as sites like Göbekli Tepe.

To bolster this point: even today less than half the world population has flown on an airplane.

Assuming than implies "somewhere between 45-50%", that's higher than I would have thought. But a much higher percentage would have traveled 100s if not 1000kms over land surely.

They’re the smart ones

The vast majority didn't have a choice, sir. Ever been to a really poor country? Even Moldova will do, you don't have to go to Niger.

But people from poor countries actually do travel a lot, as gastarbeiters, to send remittance back to their families. They do so using buses, though. Lots and lots of buses.

Joke, sir

> We have this notion of historic times that people largely stayed in place.

Good rhetorical technique, I’m sure a lot of people have a relatively ‘naive’ preconception about such things - but I also think a lot of people do have an understanding that these kinds of things were possible as it is.

> There is cultivated wheat at the bottom of the English Channel, meaning it was farmed there before the English Chanel was flooded by the North American ice sheet melting.

Citation? I'm no expert but I had thought that the introduction of farming to the region post-dated the inundation of the channel by millennia.

Who is "we"?