Abstract:

Because of its feature as being a gate opening from Mesopotamian and Iranian territory to Anatolia and Northern Syria, ancient Assur had a strategic geographical position in its region. Being aware of the importance of their city, some of the first rulers of the Assur city state tried to attract the traders of peripheral regions to the city by taking some important attempts to render Assur as a center of commerce. However, one of the main goals of the Assyrian rulers was to prevent the traders of neighboring countries from penetrating to the Assyrian colonies in Anatolia which was the focus of the Assyrian trade. By taking tight measures for this purpose, they achieved, to a large extend, the monopolization in trade which was carried out especially in central Anatolia. Although there were some references to the other neighboring traders in Kültepe texts, any of their significant activities is not observed especially in trade of tin or textile, the main goods of the Assyrian trade. On the other hand, as it is understood from some texts, Assyrian traders got in contact with ‘foreign’ traders who came most probably from the Aegean Coast to some of the important trade centers located in the near territory to the Western Anatolia, and they sold them commercial goods, mainly copper and tin, in return for precious metals such as gold and silver

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