Final answer:
Evidence for long-distance trade in history includes items like types of stone, copper, and shells found far from their origins, as well as buildings constructed with materials sourced from distant places, which demonstrate trade networks that spanned hundreds of miles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evidence that people traded over long distances can be inferred from different types of artifacts and ecological data. Items such as types of stone, copper materials, and shells from distant coastlines found in specific areas are indicative of trade networks that spanned hundreds of miles. Additionally, materials like fossilized pollen can help researchers identify what the environment was like and what resources were available which, in turn, may be linked to the movement and trade between different regions. Buildings constructed with logs sourced from mountains more than 50 miles away (dendroprovenance) further emphasize the capacities for long-distance resource procurement and trade.
Historians and archaeologists may look at the physical evidence of early human migration, such as the use of fluted points or the linguistic divergence between coastal and interior languages, to postulate on the existence and nature of trade and migration routes. Trade likely played a significant role in these migrations, as materials and technology would have disseminated along with the movement of peoples. Consequently, examining these elements can provide evidence for the scale and complexity of prehistoric trade and interaction networks.