Sorry. And all this because your father welcomed an army into his house, thinking they were merchants. Best wishes, John Green. So, right, you wouldn't let an army or a rival noble into your house, but everyone welcomes a merchant, and not just royalty. The great thing about seaborne trade is that you can trade bulk goods, like cotton cloth, foodstuffs, and timber that's all too heavy to strap onto a camel or mule. So for the first time we see goods being traded for a mass market instead of just luxury goods like silk for elites. Wood, for instance, can be used to build houses, but it's not all that plentiful on the Arabian Peninsula.