Hi! Please notice the picture. It
is a seal in barrel type. You might get suprised
it has been a perfect made work. But have you
wondered that why it was made up? What could
people in Mesopotamia use them to do? In fact,
all we know seal is an important tool when we
want to prove ourselves. For example, businessmen
will use seal to have a mark on the contract. Accordding
to the antiquities we jave found from
Mesopotamia, we could know people had learned how
to do business with others in a formal way.
No
stones = end of Stone Age
In the vast clay
field there is a fundamental lack of natural
resources, materials that are indispensable for
an urban society. The lack of stone may literally
be seen as attributing to the end of the Stone
Age. Timber and stone are needed for the
construction of buildings, metals become
increasingly important. A roof span of 10 meters
requires strong rafters, but timber made from
date palm trees is too flexible. Good timber was
only available in the forests (at those times) in
far away Lebanon or somewhat nearer in the
mountains of modern Iran. The mountains are also
rich in minerals, stones and metals. If you don't
have it, go and get it. History hasn't changed in
five millennia.
Tribute
and loot
There are two
basic methods to obtain the required fundamental
materials: by war or by trade. These materials
were often demanded as tribute or taken as loot
after a military expedition. An old Sumerian epic
(accounts of the legendary king Gilgamesh,
king of Uruk 'who build the walls', 'who
goes to the cedar forests'). Others tell about
the victories by king Lugalbanda, the
tributes and the exchange of grain for precious
stones.
Trade
and barter
Military
expeditions were performed after the harvest
period (often on a yearly basis, in particular in
the first millennium) when farmers are available
as soldiers. Minerals (like copper, tin, silver,
a black stone called diorite, etc.) were only
available in remote parts of the area, for which
a military action would take too long, would be
too vulnerable and probably would be too
expensive. Then trade is the only way. In texts
from the 19th century BCE, it appears that trade
was performed in a professional, capitalistic way
(at least during a period of almost a century in
the Old Assyrian period): barter by boat over the
Euphrates and the Persian Golf and with regular
caravans by donkeys to Anatolia (modern Turkey).
Merchandise
Apart from
cereals the inhabitants of Mesopotamia themselves
had little to offer. Cereals were indeed exported
but was too bulky for donkey transport over long
distances. Imported material from elsewhere were
again exported. Like tin, an important metal for
bronze, that in those times probably came out of
Afghanistan (although there are many Tin-routes).
It was exported to Anatolia, a major center of
metal industry, where in extensive forests wood
was abundantly available to fuel the furnaces.
Other merchandise were dates, sesame oil and in
particular craft materials. Babylonia had an
extensive wool industry. Coupons of 4 by 4.5
meter were in the 19th century BCE transported by
the hundreds. From Anatolia silver and gold was
imported.
We
also found people in Mesopotamia had had some
business with the people in India.
Archeologists also have found the same thing as
the picture in India. With the development of words and
math system, people in Mesopotamia also could
keep the records for their business.
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