Ancient
Mesopotamia
Ann Marie Dlott & Colleagues,
Shrewsbury Public Schools, MA
Economics
How did farmers learn the secrets of
trading?
Trade and commerce developed in Mesopotamia
because the farmers learned how to irrigate their land. They
could now grow more food than they could eat. They used the surplus
to trade for goods and services. Ur, a city-state in Sumer, was
a major center for commerce and trade. Temples were the chief
employer and location for commercial activity.
What if you needed some important things.
How could you get them?
The system of trade developed from people's
need. People in the mountains needed wheat and barley. Mountain
people could give timber, limestone, gold, silver, and copper.
Flax was grown in the river valley and then woven into cloth.
Linen garments were worn by priests and holy men. Wool and wool
cloth was also important for trade. Wood was used for ships and
furniture.
Imagine having to take your boat apart
after traveling down a river. Read on to find out why these people
had to do this. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers made transport
of goods easy and economical. Riverboats were used to transport
goods for trade. Strong currents moved the boats downstream,
but because of the current they could travel in one direction
only. The boats had to be dismantled after the trip downstream.
The Mesopotamians were clever people and
used interesting types of boats. The Mesopotamians used three
types of boats: wooden boats with a triangular sail, the turnip
or Guffa boat which was shaped like a tub, made of reeds and
covered with skin, and the kalakku which was a raft of timbers
supported by inflated animal skins. The invention of the wheel
by the Sumerians revolutionalized the transportation. Wagons
could be used to carry heavy loads.
If you lived back then, you would not need
money to get things you needed. Money wasn't used to trade goods
and services. The Mesopotamians used the barter system instead.
They developed a writing system to keep track of buying and selling.
Scribes kept accurate records of business transactions by writing
on clay tablets. Business contracts were sealed with a cylinder
wheel.
