Reevaluating the Role of Bitumen in Mesopotamian Economic Systems: a Comparative Review of the Textual and Scientific Evidence
HINKS, Megan
While raw materials such as metal and ceramics have been extensively studied in the context of ancient Mesopotamian economic processes, bitumen has received comparatively less attention. Widespread in Mesopotamia both geographically and temporally, bitumen was involved in most aspects of subsistence, employed in a diverse range of objects – from utilitarian to prestige. The association of bitumen with other materials in craft production suggests that it may have been embedded in the same local and regional patterns of interaction. Indeed, bitumen trade is well-documented in textual sources, which frequently detail quantity, value, intended use, and accompanying materials. From another perspective, scientific analyses continue to investigate the provenance and composition of archaeological bitumen, highlighting ancient source selection, distribution and processing techniques. This paper synthesizes previous translation efforts with new data derived from digitalization projects, such as the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), integrating these findings with the scientific research to offer a more comprehensive understanding of bitumen in ancient economic systems. Furthermore, it emphasises methodological considerations for bitumen sampling during excavation to facilitate successful provenance analyses in future research.
Session 2. Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Ancient Economies [info]