Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T06:52:04.816Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Seven - The Role of Merchants and Trade in Ancient Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2020

Kenneth Hirth
Kenneth Hirth
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
Get access

Summary

Merchants were an important feature of the ancient commercial landscape. This chapter examines the merchant’s dilemma, the conditions that gave rise to their appearance, and the way that merchants operated in the ancient world. Structures of operation discussed include commenda partnerships, diaspora communities, and the role merchants played in the development of the putting-out system of managed production. Examples discussed include tribal merchants in New Guinea and South India as well as merchants in the state-level societies of Bronze Age Assur and Aztec Mexico.

Keywords

merchant definedancient transportation systemslong-distance tradecarrying trademerchant statusmerchant’s dilemmacommenda partnershipstrade diasporastemples as commercial institutions
Type
Chapter
Information
The Organization of Ancient Economies
A Global Perspective
 , pp. 194 - 236
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×