Commercial Landscapes of Long-distance Contacts in Western Asia, C. 3200 – 1600 BC: Perspectives from Material Culture

Abstract

To our knowledge, the dataset described in this paper represents the largest existing repository of archaeological material culture data for Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia, and northern Levant during the Early and Middle Bronze Age (ca. 3,200 - 1,600 BC). Here we present four types of objects (lapis lazuli and ivory artefacts, Syrian bottles, and balance pan weights) that can be analysed as tracers of long-distance contacts for assessing what exchange patterns and socio-economic dynamics (e.g. gifts, trade, marriage alliances, tribute, market profit, reciprocity, etc.) are responsible for the allocation and distribution of these materials in the Near East.