commercial activity, and a range of exotic goods from further east. These include lapis,
turquoise and a piece of stepped inlay of possible Central Asian origin. There is also a
model of a covered wagon similar to those used by the Transcauscasian people who
moved into Northern Iran early in the third millennium (Speiser 1935 ). Looking
southwards there is a dice said to be identical with those from the Indus. There is at
least one tantalising glimpse of possible (indirect?) contacts between Central Asia and
the Agade kingdom, which might well have been mediated by sites such as Gawra. A
typical Agade combat scene was found at Gonur Depe in southeastern Turkmenistan
inscribed with the name of ‘Lucaks, the cupbearer and a servant.. .’. The name of his
boss is unfortunately missing. There are a number of other cylinder seal impressions
and bullae from this site and from Togolok, but from the murky photographs it is
difficult to say if they are Elamite or Mesopotamian (Sarianidi 2002 : esp. 326 and
334 – 335 ).
The great store at Brak, known as the Naram-Sin palace, demonstrates the impor-
tance of the northeast as a source of grain and perhaps raw materials, until its destruc-
tion late in the Agade period, but we cannot tell if these commodities were acquired
as tribute, booty, trade or a combination of the three. It is not clear if the Agade kings
controlled Brak before this building was erected, but the city was strategically placed,
commanding the gap in the hills leading to the south, and was known as a breeder of
a sought after equid cross called a kungu, both of which made it a desirable acquisition
(Oates et al. 2001 : esp. ch. 16 ).
THE SOUTHERN GULF ROUTE AND THE INDUS
The famous inscription of Sargon of Agade stating that ships of Dilmun, Magan and
Meluhha moored at the quays of Agade indicates that the Gulf route remained
extremely active during his reign at the beginning of the Agade period (Frayne 1993 :
E 2. 1. 1. 11 , 28 – 29 ). Contacts were also maintained with the Indus valley, weights, seals
and etched carnelian beads continue to be found in small numbers and may have
arrived via the Gulf, as too did lapis, copper and perhaps gold and tin, forwarded on
from Afghanistan or Central Asia (Ratnagar 2004 ). A well-known seal of the period
shows a Meluhhan interpreter sitting on the knee of an Agade ruler (Lamberg-
Karlovsky 1981 ), which may suggest that there were people from Meluhha resident in
Sumer itself (Parpola et al. 1977 ). It is also from this period that we begin to see the
Indian zebuor humped cattle depicted on cylinder seals (Collon 1987 ). Relations with
the Gulf were not purely commercial and Manishtsu claimed to have actually crossed
the Lower sea and defeated thirty-two towns before quarrying black stone there for a
statue (Frayne 1993 : E 2. 1. 3. 1 , 76 ). Naram-Sin was more specific and records that he
conquered Magan, captured its ruler, quarried diorite and dedicated several items of
booty from this campaign to his gods (Frayne 1993 : E 2. 1. 4. 13 , 117 ).
UR III: THE EUPHRATES ROUTE
There is surprisingly little direct evidence for trade up and down the Euphrates under
the Ur III kings. The great site of Mari has not provided much evidence for the period
either, though both the Zimri-Lim palace and the palace of the shakkanakus were
probably founded at this time. It seems that a son of Ur-nammu of Ur was married to–– Harriet Crawford ––