Trade throughout history has afforded merchants a certain status in society due to the activity itself. The beginnings of trade, or exchange, date back to the Stone Age when the development of communication among people began to evolve. Trade is the oldest form of exchange, reaching far into the past, but according to many trends and growth patterns, it leaves room for the future. In history, trade in its initial forms referred to barter, where there was no modern trader mediating between production and ultimate consumption. However, as society and habits evolved, trade did not stagnate in its development. On the contrary, it now represents a complex web of interconnected chains ensuring timely goods delivery as per the customer's desire. Globalization has allowed trade to transcend borders, and today the world is becoming a "global village." In many cases today, there is no need for physical stores to engage in trade, and the world is becoming a global marketplace. The goal of this work is to examine the development of trade throughout history, as well as the main determinants of its development and the path of development to the present day. This leads to the very purpose of the work, which is to present the evolution of trade throughout history, analyze data, and interpret it. The methodology used in the work includes the method of proof, the method of induction to arrive at general conclusions, the comparative method to compare different forms of trade, and the statistical method to present statistical data upon which conclusions will be drawn.