Mesopotamia's invisible exports in the third millennium B.C.

This article tries to clarify the problem of Mesopotamia's exports, which by an historically unfortunate accident seem to have been of a perishable nature. In addition to the better known exports of grain and cloth it is suggested that leather, fish, perfumed fats and oils, and possibly slaves, all played a part. It is also pointed out that there was a considerable inter‐city trade within Mesopotamia. An attempt is made to find archaeological traces of the processing of trade goods in Mesopotamia prior to export.