Book contents
- The Cambridge History of International Law
- The Cambridge History of International Law
- Frontispiece
- The Cambridge History of International Law
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Plates
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- A Note on the Text
- Part I International Law in the Ancient Near East (Third Millennium–500 bc)
- 1 The Ancient Near East and International Law
- 2 Territory and Jurisdiction in West Asia
- 3 War and Peace in the Ancient Near East
- 4 Trade and Communication in the Ancient Near East
- 5 Diplomacy in the Ancient Near East
- 6 Dispute Settlement in the Ancient Near East
- Part II International law in the Greek and Roman world (600 bc–ad 650)
- Index
- Plate Section
- References
4 - Trade and Communication in the Ancient Near East
from Part I - International Law in the Ancient Near East (Third Millennium–500 bc)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: aN Invalid Date NaN
General editor
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of International Law
- The Cambridge History of International Law
- Frontispiece
- The Cambridge History of International Law
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Plates
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- A Note on the Text
- Part I International Law in the Ancient Near East (Third Millennium–500 bc)
- 1 The Ancient Near East and International Law
- 2 Territory and Jurisdiction in West Asia
- 3 War and Peace in the Ancient Near East
- 4 Trade and Communication in the Ancient Near East
- 5 Diplomacy in the Ancient Near East
- 6 Dispute Settlement in the Ancient Near East
- Part II International law in the Greek and Roman world (600 bc–ad 650)
- Index
- Plate Section
- References
Summary
This chapter examines the legal and institutional frameworks governing international trade and communication in the ancient Near East, focusing on the third to first millennia BC. It highlights the uneven distribution of textual evidence across time and regions, with the richest sources coming from the Old Assyrian trade network in Anatolia during the early second millennium. Through treaties, letters and legal documents, the chapter explores how merchants and messengers operated across borders, the protections they received and the obligations they faced. It discusses the role of commercial treaties, trade partnerships and diplomatic exchanges, emphasising the integration of trade with political and legal systems. The chapter also addresses the regulation of foreign merchants residing abroad, the risks of long-distance trade and the mechanisms for dispute resolution. By analysing key sites such as Ebla, Mari, Kanesh and Ugarit, it provides a comprehensive view of how ancient states facilitated and controlled international commerce, laying early foundations for international trade law.
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- The Cambridge History of International Law , pp. 92 - 114Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
Further Reading
Baker, Heather D., and Jursa, Michael (eds.), Approaching the Babylonian Economy. Proceedings of the START-Project Symposium Held in Vienna, 1–3 July 2004 (Münster: Ugarit-Verlag 2005).Google Scholar
Charpin, Dominique, ‘La circulation des commerçants, des nomades et des messagers dans le Proche-Orient amorrite (XVIIIe siècle av. J.-C.)’ in Moatti, Claudia (ed.), La mobilité des personnes en Méditerranée de l’Antiquité à l’époque moderne. Procédures de contrôle et documents d’identification (Rome: Publications de l’École française de Rome 2004) 51–69.Google Scholar
Dercksen, Jan Gerrit (ed.), Trade and Finance in Ancient Mesopotamia. Proceedings of the First MOS Symposium (Leiden: NINO Publications 1999).Google Scholar
Hertel, Thomas, Old Assyrian Legal Practices. Law and Dispute in the Ancient Near East (Leiden: NINO Publications 2013).Google Scholar
Kulakoğlu, Fikri, and Michel, Cécile (eds.), Daily Life at Kıltepe Ancient Kanesh (Ankara: Bilgin Kültür Sanat Yayınları Basım Vayım 2025).Google Scholar
Leemans, Wilhelmus F., Foreign Trade in the Old Babylonian Period (Leiden: Brill 1960).Google Scholar
Michel, Cécile, ‘Economic and social aspects of the Old Assyrian loan contract’ in D’Agostino, Franco (ed.), L’economia dell’antica Mesopotamia (III–I millennio a.C.) per un dialogo interdisciplinare, (Rome: La Sapienza 2013) 41–56.Google Scholar
Michel, Cécile, ‘The Old Assyrian trade in the light of recent Kültepe archives’, Journal of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies, 3 (2008) 71–82.Google Scholar
Oppenheim, Leo, ‘Essay on overland trade in the first millennium b.c.’, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, 21 (1968) 236–54.Google Scholar
Oppenheim, Leo, ‘The seafearing merchants of Ur’, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 74 (1954) 6–17.10.2307/595475CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veenhof, Klaas R., ‘Communication in the Old Assyrian trading society by caravans, travelers and messengers’ in Michel, Cécile (ed.), Old Assyrian Studies in Memory of Paul Garelli (Leiden: NINO Publications 2008) 199–246.Google Scholar
Westbrook, Raymond (ed.), A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law (Leiden and Boston: Brill 2003).10.1163/9789047402091CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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