Trade Between the Assyrians and the Hittites

Old Assyrian merchants exported textiles and tin to Anatolia. Anatolia mined silver, gold and copper. The merchants communicated with each other by sending clay tablets. The clay tablets were about the size of your hand and were wrapped in a layer of clay which formed an "envelope." On one tablet sent by Buzazu, we read "Let them [the transporters] bring the tin via the narrow track [smuggling route] if it is clear. If not, let them make small packets of my tin and introduce them gradually into Kanesh, concealed in their underwear." This is just an ordinary trade message but the place they hid the metal - not so ordinary. Source Assyria maintained a "Kings Road" for trade and communication. Animals were kept at stops along the road for use by official messengers only. See video below about smuggling on or around the Kings Road. If you wanted to make a transaction, your ID or in other words, your guarantee that you would pay was a cylinder seal. Check out cylinder seals here.

If you were an Assyrian merchant, what would you sell?

Clothing
Wool was the primary textile of the region. It was woven on a loom and then dyed. The red and blue dyes were made from plants. The wool fibers were woven into rugs, clothing and other useful items. Look at the picture above. You will see a very detailed garment with tassels. Linen was only available in Egypt and was better for a hot climate. Check out this Red Karaman Sheep of Turkey. What items in your house are made of wool?

Ramesses II

Ramesses II was extraordinarily active militarily and in building monuments. He made war against the Hittite king and signed the first known peace treaty. Both sides claimed a victory. He made war to the south into Nubia. He remodeled other Pharaoh's monuments. He put his cartouche on monuments he did not build. He built multiple temples. In his own palace, he built a private zoo. If you could have a zoo at your house, which animals would you want? Read/Watch Dr Seuss's If I Ran the Zoo for ideas.

The Sherden Sea Pirates

The Sherden pirates were attacking Egyptian ships in the Mediterranean. Ramesses put a stop to it by allowing them to attack one ship and then surrounding and capturing the entire lot. Sea-faring thieves is not a new occupation. Solving piracy is a matter of national defense. How was Ramesses' strategy successful? You might enjoy viewing the bronze archers theorized to be associated with the Sherdan if they lived in Sardis (see link in this paragraph).

Yazilikaya

Yazilikaya is a temple or sanctuary built on a rock outcropping that allowed the Hittites to keep track of the lunar months based on the path the moon took across the sky at different times of the year. Along the walls of the shrine are carved images of the Hittite pantheon in a cosmic order. Modern day scholars assume that religious celebrations were held in this area, but there was likely a daily presence of elite people who monitored the heavens here. Source

School in Ancient Times

Kids who went to school in Hittite times used wax boards for practicing their letters. These boards had a frame and the inside area was spread with a wax mixture that could be inscribed and "erased." You can see a stylus in the belt of the people carved into ancient stone monuments. The stylus was used to write the cuneiform text.

The Babylonians developed a counting system based on the number 60. After reaching the number 60, they added lower numbers to groups of 60 to get higher numbers. The Babylonians did not have the number zero so they had trouble with numbers that had zero in a certain place value. The Bablyonians partially solve the problem with a dot that stood for "no number in this place value." Why does a clock turn to the next hour at 60 minutes? How is an arc's angle measured?

The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians were mariners who facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas and knowledge. They are credited with the oldest alphabet. Two of their most famous cities were Tyre and Sidon. The Bronze Age collapse did not affect the Phoenicians and they experienced what is sometimes called the Phoenician Renaissance. See an EdSitement Lesson Plan here. If you could stow away on a Phoenician trading vessel, where would you go? What is it like to row a boat? Phoenician vessels were called biremes? What is a bireme? Learn more about Tyre here.

Resources:

Books (all links go to Goodreads)

How to Count Like a Martian (or a Babylonian) JUV

Writing in Ancient Phoenicia JUV

The Wonderful World of Mathematics JUV

The Phoenician Ship JUV

Free E-Books

The Wonderful Adventures of Phra the Phoenician JUV

Videos

Virtual Egypt - Tour Abu Simbel The Egyptian Temple built by Ramesses II

Babylonian Numbers

The Phoenicians

Cracking Ancient Codes: Cuneiform

Cosmic Symbolism of Yazilikaya

The Surprising Animal Origins of Ancient Dye

How to make a Prized Purple Dye (1 minute)

Why don't Country Flags Use the Color Purple (contains a small nude diety)

A 4000 Year Old Tale of Trade and Contraband

Activities

1. Make a wax writing board and carve a stylus from a wooden dowel

2. Learn how to spin wool into yarn either with a drop spindle or with a little Electric Eel Nano machine.

3. Make Felt Raccoons (Felt can be made of wool but cheaper versions of felt are available at the craft store)

4. Use purple dye to color a white t-shirt or some tea towels. Explore natural dyes like the yellow color that can be extracted from onion skins. Don't be surprised if natural dyes are muted in comparison to modern synthetic dyes.

5. Visit a local farm to see the sheep