How An Ancient Copper Merchant Became An Internet Star

If you have been on the internet in the last 10 years, you might have come across a fascinating cuneiform letter and its recipient merchant, Ea-nāṣir, who lived in ancient Mesopotamia. The letter is a complaint, believed to be the oldest complaint letter ever written, from around 1750 BCE.

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"Often called the worst copper merchant in all of Mesopotamia, Ea-nāṣir was most likely not that bad. He brought copper from Dilmun to the palace of the ancient city of Ur, famous for its impressive Ziggurat, located in what is now Iraq. This was during the Bronze Age, when copper was a fundamental commodity used for metal works, weapons, armors, and shields. It was the cutting edge of technology at the time; the equivalent of someone trading in microchips today. So if you believed you were given a sub-par product, you’d definitely complain."

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