🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
More than 20,000 tablets were discovered at Mari, many detailing diplomatic letters between rulers.
The city of Mari on the Euphrates produced thousands of tablets documenting diplomatic and commercial exchanges. These archives reveal how Babylon under Hammurabi engaged in regional trade and alliance systems. Merchants transported textiles, metals, and agricultural goods along river and caravan routes. Diplomatic letters discuss military coalitions and economic coordination. Control of trade corridors increased Babylon's political leverage. Economic integration preceded territorial dominance. Written correspondence from Mari provides granular insight into these networks. The interconnected economy amplified both opportunity and vulnerability. Babylon's expansion was inseparable from regional commerce.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Trade networks redistributed wealth and information across city-states. Access to tin and copper enabled bronze production critical for tools and weapons. Diplomatic marriages and treaties secured supply lines. Economic interdependence also meant that warfare disrupted markets. Babylon's eventual supremacy altered the balance of commercial power. Administrative oversight expanded to manage cross-border agreements. Commerce functioned as both catalyst and constraint on imperial ambition.
For traders, prosperity required navigating political uncertainty. Caravans faced banditry and shifting alliances. Successful merchants accumulated influence within urban society. Families relied on distant exchanges for materials unavailable locally. The rhythm of life followed river currents and caravan schedules. Empire felt distant until a trade route closed.
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