Final answer:
The camel saddle, invented by the Tuareg people of North Africa, is the invention that made trade across Northern Africa and the Middle East much more feasible by 200 A.D. It allowed camels to be ridden, which revolutionized the transport and trade of goods such as gold and salt across deserts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The new tool/invention that made trade across Northern Africa and the Middle East much more possible by 200 A.D. is C) The camel saddle. This innovation facilitated long-distance travel across deserts, revolutionizing trade in the region. Not only did camels prove to be well-adapted to the harsh desert environment, capable of lasting days without water and bearing the extreme temperatures, but the camel saddle, invented by the Tuareg people of North Africa, significantly improved the efficiency of using these animals for trade. With the aid of camel saddles, camels could be ridden, allowing caravans to move goods like salt, gold, and other materials across vast stretches of desert, enabling the development of new trade routes and the growth of distant markets.
The camel’s physical adaptations such as having feet suited for sandy terrains and being able to carry heavy burdens made it the ideal pack animal for traversing the Sahara. Moreover, the introduction of date palms provided a reliable and portable source of nutrition for these extended journeys. The camel caravans became instrumental during the ninth to fifteenth centuries, reaching their zenith as they connected sub-Saharan Africa with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern markets and were central to the first global economies.