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Rewinding 4,000 years -

It is no great secret that in the year 2000 BCE the world looked very different from how it does in now. Although by the second millennium BCE humans had been around for almost 70,000 years, the last 4,000 years have been pretty busy.

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Rewinding 4,000 years -

At the beginning of the second millennium BCE, for example, many societies of hunter gatherers still existed, and the world map looked very different from how it does today.

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Similarities with modern life -

And yet archaeological research suggests that there were features of life in the second millennium BCE that wouldn’t look unfamiliar today.

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Assyrian trade network -

In particular, there was a complex trade network between Assur, a city in modern Iraq, and Kanesh, a city in modern Turkey, that was based on concepts we think of as modern, such as investment.

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Assyrian trade network -

The network, which was at large between 1900 BCE and 1850 BCE, depended on the delivery of a variety of goods, both luxury and non-luxury, to the city of Assur.

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Goods -

Lapis-lazuli (a type of semi-precious stone) came from Afghanistan, carnelian (another semi-precious gemstone) hailed from Pakistan, and tin was most likely delivered from Iran or somewhere further east.

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Trading -

Once the goods arrived in Assur, they were traded for silver or gold. They were then packed up and transported by donkey to Kanesh, where they were traded, hopefully for more silver or gold.

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Long commute -

The journey from Assur to Kanesh by donkey caravan took six weeks, so to avoid having to do this regularly many Assyrians moved to Kanesh and set up camp. It was a sort of expat community.

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Communication -

Once they were in Kanesh, the Assyrians of course had to communicate with their business partners back home in order to keep the business running smoothly.

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Clay tablets -

Their chosen method of communication was clay tablets, which at the time was the most efficient method of relaying information from A to B.

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How they were made -

The tablets were shaped by hand and then a stylus was used to imprint a message in the clay while it was still wet. The tablet was then wrapped in another sheet of clay, which bore the name and address of the recipient, and sent on its way.

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Source of information -

Archaeologists have unearthed around 23,000 of these tablets dating from a period of roughly 150 years. It is thanks to these historical letters that we know so much about what life was like at this time.

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Source of information -

In particular, the tablets have led to some interesting discoveries about the role of women in Assyrian society and the extent to which they were involved in the trade network.

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Assyrian women -

Studies of the tablets reveal that while their husbands were traveling or living in Kanesh, Assyrian women were responsible for taking care of the business at home.

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Heads of the household -

According to Cecile Michel, a senior researcher for the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, these women were “the head of the household while the husband was away.”

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Businesswomen -

The women contributed to the trade network by producing textiles for export, issuing loans, buying and selling houses, and taking care of investments.

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Businesswomen -

According to Michel, the Assyrian businesswomen were astute accountants who knew exactly how much money they should be receiving in return for their textiles.

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Progressive -

They, of course, used the money earned from their textiles to pay for food and for the upkeep of their homes, but they also invested wherever possible.

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Progressive -

The tablets suggest that this level of business acumen meant some women even rose to the status of business partner, which was very unusual for the time.

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Progressive -

The way in which some husbands trusted and relied upon their wives to take care of business is evident in the tablets.

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Letter examples -

In one letter, for example, a trader wrote to his wife: “Urgent! Clear your outstanding merchandise. Collect the gold of the son of Limishar and send it to me… Please, put all my tablets in safekeeping.”

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Letter examples -

Women also did not refrain from reprimanding the men or putting them in their place. One tablet from a woman named Narumtum reads: “What is this that you do not even send me a tablet two fingers wide with good news from you?”

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Letter examples -

Another reads: “Don’t be so greedy that you ruin me!” The context is believed to be a woman admonishing her brother over a missing payment.

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The exception to the rule -

The role played by women in the Assyrian trade network was largely in keeping with the unusual level of independence afforded to them during this time. For example, a woman in Assur or Kanesh could ask for a divorce and be treated equally in the divorce proceedings.

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Babylonia -

In neighbouring Babylonia, by contrast, women in the south were unable to ask for a divorce, and in the north a woman asking for a divorce would be executed.

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Advancement of the cause -

The role played by women in the trade network also helped to advance their cause. For instance, many added clauses to their marriage contracts that disallowed men to have a second wife or travel alone.

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Advancement of the cause -

One marriage contract read, for example: “Assur-malik married Suhkana, daughter of Iram-Assur. Wherever Assur-malik goes, he shall take her with him. He shall not marry another woman in Kanesh.”

Sources: (BBC) (British Museum)

See also: 15 things women can stop feeling guilty about

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