The Sumerian World (Routledge Worlds)

a princess of Mari, which underlines the continuing importance of the ties between the
two areas (Hallo and Simpson 1998 : 74 ) and we may suppose that some copper and
timber continued to flow into the south by this route. Both Gudea and Shu-Sin state
that they obtained high-quality wood from Ebla, which in addition, sent messengers
or ambassadors to the Ur III court (Dolce 2001 : 24 – 25 ). This would indicate that Ebla
was rebuilt fairly quickly after the destruction by Naram-Sin. Elsewhere, It seems that
there was once again, a period of de-urbanisation in north Mesopotamia with disrup-
tion to some trade routes, although major sites such as Brak continue on a somewhat
reduced scale.

SUSA AND IRAN

It is interesting to speculate how far the need to ensure reliable sources of raw mater-
ials informed the foreign policy of south Mesopotamia. There was apparently no
shortage of metals, although the use of traditional luxuries such as semi-precious stones
declined, so we can assume that some of the trade routes remained open. The Ur III
kings seem to have focused their military expeditions to the north and northeast,
controlling a swathe of territory as far as a line which ran roughly from the bend in
the Euphrates to the Diyala (Steinkeller 1991 : esp. fig. 6 ). Beyond this and east of the
Tigris were the satellite kingdoms which they sometimes struggled to control and who
in turn controlled the routes through the Zagros on to the Iranian plateau. These
routes probably continued to supply raw materials to the south as in Agade times.
On the Tigris, there is evidence for direct southern control at Asˇsˇur where a southern
governor was in place and Susa, too, was under southern rule until the reign of
Ibbi-Sin. In addition, we have evidence for settlements of Elamites in south
Mesopotamia itself, as well as for southerners resident in Susa (Potts T. 1994 : 36 ). Many
of the resources of the Iranian plateau could be channelled into Sumer down the
Zagros passes or via Susa and the Karun.

THE GULF ROUTE

Although we have suggested that essential raw materials were still coming into south
Mesopotamia down the Euphrates and also perhaps through the passes in the Zagros
mountains, this period sees an increase in the importance of the Gulf route. Contacts
with both Dilmun and Magan are mentioned regularly in the texts, but direct contact
with Meluhha seems to have ceased, even though there is again evidence for a
Meluhhan village, as well as a Magan one, both in the Lagash/Girsu region. As the
inhabitants of the Meluhhan village had good Sumerian names, it is suggested that they
had been thoroughly assimilated into Mesopotamian society (Potts T. 1994 : 36 ).
We may speculate that the power of Mari increased under the shakkanakurulers,
and with the developing might of the Amorites, may have threatened trade on the
Euphrates. The hill people were also a constant threat in the mountains to the east
making a third supply route desirable. Ur-Nammu boasts in the law code formerly
attributed to him, (and in various dedicatory inscriptions) that he returned the Magan
ship to Nannar and a little further on that he had established freedom ‘from the chief
sea captain’ for those conducting trading ventures, presumably in the Gulf (Frayne
1997 : 47 – 48 ) – an early reference to piracy perhaps? Inscriptions of other kings of the

–– Trade in the Sumerian world ––