Old Assyrian Period

The Old Assyrian era lasted ~6000 BCE to ~1600 BCE, during the which time the Assyrians managed an extensive trade network from ~2000 BCE until the end of the era ~1600 BCE.

In the Old Assyrian period, it was typical for Assyrian men to live part- or full-time at an Anatolian merchant colony called a karum Leick 2001, p 202. The merchant brought goods from Assyria, typically textiles produced at his estate by his wife and other household females. These exports which were sold at a premium to the Anatolians. Sheet-like cloth was the bulk of the trade, but Anatolian elites eagerly paid high prices for ornate textiles. The female producers were compensated with a profit share.

Assyrian pre-history (including part of the Old Assyrian Period) is covered by the Assyrian Kinglist. Ashur has little evidence on early Assyria, but karum Kanesh (modern Kültepe) has yielded ~14,000 tablets so far. These tablets date to the dawn of the 2nd millennium. (The greater Cappadocia region hosted merchants as early as the 24th CENT BCE.) These tablets revealed that Ashur's businesses organized trade by placing representatives in multiple cities.

Copper-hungry Assyria expanded commercially into copper-rich Anatolia, both importing copper and feeding tin (from the east) and textiles (from Babylonia) into Anatolia. This system benefited the foreigners (their rulers allowed their existence) and also Assyria (which needed vital timber and metals).

Merchants grouped together in large convoys, evidenced by some documents mentioning only a single donkey. It was too unsafe to take a single donkey alone for a 2 month, ~750 mile and sometimes deadly route. There were outposts of Assyrian merchants along the way to facilitate transport. A donkey's total load, including harness was ~100 kilos. Tin was usually carried in a pair of balanced bullas. Textiles were rolled and placed on top of the donkey.

These ass caravans would set off for Anatolia, along with documentation which was inspected against the load.

Upon arrival at Kanesh, the loads were processed and taxed before they could be resold. This suggests a system of private capitalists, rather than government workers.

Taxes were hefty -- in addition to Kanesh's tax, 10% of the load's value en route -- and smuggling sometimes occurred. Sales often used gold and silver, but textiles and copper intermediaries were oft used and then resold for precious metals. Gross profits of as much as 100% were typical on tin, and textiles could garner even more.

Principals in Anatolia would send the earnings back to their colleague in Ashur (sometimes a wife), and more goods were purchased for shipment to Anatolia. Even if they had a wife in Ashur, principals would sometimes be abroad for years and take additional wives.

The Old Period's last two rulers, Shamshi-Adad I and Ishme-Dagan, had hegemony all the way to the western Zagros (a region between the Euphrates and Tigris).

After Ishme Dagan, king Hammurabi of Old Babylon slaughtered the Assyrian king and turned Assyria into a vassal. However, trade activity continued and Ashur remained a link between Iran (tin), Mesopotamia and Anatolia (copper). Assyria still made large profits on tin and prized textiles.