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Better-Ambassador738 t1_iyjo8ik wrote

Reply to comment by BodolftheGnome in Gold from ancient Troy, Poliochni and Ur had the same origin by IslandChillin

Yeah, that jumped out at me too. It’s not like these places are super far apart. I’m not sure how long a walk that is, but I can’t imagine it would be more than a season, if that.

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Wurm42 t1_iyk0s0q wrote

The goods travel farther than any one trader. Valuable items like gold might change hands many times before they reach their final buyer.

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runespider t1_iyk3sbj wrote

We know that that kings would send gifts of gold to each other which would be melted down and repurposed. We have a letter to Ahkenaten's mom complaining about some fake gold statues sent by Ahkenaten

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roguetrick t1_iyjsbi9 wrote

Ones an island, so the walk might be perilous. Pretty big trek from Anatolia to Iraq as well.

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Ass_feldspar t1_iykeinz wrote

I think they preferred traveling by boat.

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I-Make-Maps91 t1_iynj1j9 wrote

Yes. Unless you're moving small and very high value objects, a boat will always be the better way to move bulk goods. One of the reasons Rome was so successful was the ability to use the Mediterranean to transport goods the way we use trains today.

I don't know how much tin is needed to make bronze, but I would hazard a guess that boats along the Indian ocean played a big role.

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