ABSTRACT
Regular trading activities between Near Eastern commmunities and regions date well back into prehistoric times. In the Neolithic period, the metal obsidian gured commonly among the items which made up the prehistoric trading repertoire. e Early Bronze Age saw an intense increase in and expansion of commercial enterprises across many regions of the Near East, enterprises frequently asssociated with the spread of cultural contacts from one region to another. Bronze came into common use in this period. Since the tin required for its manufacture could be obtained in relatively few regions, most notably, perhaps, Afghanistan, oen far removed from places where it was in demand, large-scale trading operations had to be organized both to access the original sources and to ensure the security of the consignments on the routes along which they had to travel. As international trading ventures developed, so too did the complexity of the societies with which they were associated. is is reected in the emergence of a number of Early Bronze Age kingdoms in Iran, Mesopotamia, Syria and Anatolia. is period too saw the evolution of writing, used primarily, at least to begin with, as a medium for recording commercial transactions. Cities and kingdoms in resource-poor regions like southern Mesopotamia had a basic need for access to a range of commodities, including timber and various minerals, which they themselves lacked. And what could not be obtained through peaceful commercial enterprises was seized as plunder on military campaigns, like those conducted by the kings of the Akkadian empire into the lands west of the Euphrates. Luxury goods frequently gured in the cargoes brought back from or traded with other lands. ey included precious metals, faience, ivory, ne textiles, nely craed furniture, pottery, perfumes and spices.
