Chronological and Geographic Scope. Evidence for long-distance trade goes back as early as the Neolithic period, with obsidian blades from the Lake Van region appearing in southern small-scale agricultural settlements and related burials. Other regions with which prehistoric Mesopotamians traded include Anatolia to the north, Iran and Afghanistan to the east, the Persian Gulf and as far as the Indus Valley to the southeast, and—via Syria and the Levant—the Egyptian Nile delta to the southwest. Although the cities of southern Mesopotamia had to import staples for everyday use, such as wood and tin for making bronze, written and archaeological evidence provides much more information about the trade in luxury goods.

Imports and Exports. Lacking indigenous sources for most metals, precious and semi-precious stone, wood, and most ivory, people living in Mesopotamia had to obtain them through...