Weights and Trade Relations between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley

While it is seems "evident that the “step” in the pace of culture change in the Greater Indus Valley is coincident with the beginnings of Mesopotamian trade with Meluhha, and the general growth of maritime trade in the Gulf” (Possehl 1996: 187), the role of weights in this process has so far not been studied in great detail. Where – in Mesopotamia, in the Indus and in between – did weights materialize for the first time? At what sites and in which contexts were they used? Was the dissemination related to other innovations? What kinds of weights were used? What does the appearance of apparent foreign-type weights in the Indus Valley or Mesopotamia mean? What implications have the mass-units? Such and similar research questions will be addressed during the presentation. The discussion shall contribute to a better understanding of the intensity of the inter-regional integration emerging both east and west of Mesopotamia during the third millennium BC.

NOTICE: Admission to the ISAW Lecture Hall closes 10 minutes after the scheduled start time.

This is a public event.

To RSVP, please email isaw@nyu.edu.