How Precious Stones Were Traded
Land Routes
Throughout time, precious stones found their way throughout the Near East via multiple types of routes. Most precious and semi-precious stones utilized in the ancient world originated in the Middle and Far Eastern areas of Asia, and had to travel west to reach their final destinations in the Iranian Plateau or Mesopotamia.
Carnelian was mainly found in Iranian wadis and sources near the Indus Valley. In the Neolithic, and Chalcolithic periods, carnelian was transported overland. Instead of organized mercantile activities, the trade of carnelian coming from Iranian wadis was probably carried out down-the-line in small transactions via donkey caravans. This continued at least until the Akkadian Period, and likely into the later periods in smaller amounts. The trade of agate is very similar to that of carnelian: agate was found in various parts of Iran and the Indus Valley, and therefore it is hard to pinpoint where exactly agate was coming from in any period. In the earlier periods such as the Ubaid, Uruk, and Early Dynastic, (and sporadically throughout history) agate was transported overland. These routes are symbolized by the large orange and red arrows, which indicate a general movement of the stones throughout many sites.
Lapis and turquoise also originated in these far eastern areas, and were transported in small amounts via the Great Khorasan Road. This important trade route originated in the mountains of Afghanistan and wound its way through valleys and mountain passes to the Iranian Plateau. Here, it followed a route just south of the Caspian Sea to intersect the sites of Hissar and Rayy (sites which were established because of the economic benefit of this route).
Carnelian was mainly found in Iranian wadis and sources near the Indus Valley. In the Neolithic, and Chalcolithic periods, carnelian was transported overland. Instead of organized mercantile activities, the trade of carnelian coming from Iranian wadis was probably carried out down-the-line in small transactions via donkey caravans. This continued at least until the Akkadian Period, and likely into the later periods in smaller amounts. The trade of agate is very similar to that of carnelian: agate was found in various parts of Iran and the Indus Valley, and therefore it is hard to pinpoint where exactly agate was coming from in any period. In the earlier periods such as the Ubaid, Uruk, and Early Dynastic, (and sporadically throughout history) agate was transported overland. These routes are symbolized by the large orange and red arrows, which indicate a general movement of the stones throughout many sites.
Lapis and turquoise also originated in these far eastern areas, and were transported in small amounts via the Great Khorasan Road. This important trade route originated in the mountains of Afghanistan and wound its way through valleys and mountain passes to the Iranian Plateau. Here, it followed a route just south of the Caspian Sea to intersect the sites of Hissar and Rayy (sites which were established because of the economic benefit of this route).
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From here, it could turn north to Hasanlu and the Caucasus or continue east to end up in the heart of Mesopotamia, where the Euphrates and the Tigris were then used to ship the arriving goods. Many different types of objects were transported along this route - lapis lazuli, turqoise, and rock crystal being only a few. The Great Khorasan Road - and the routes of the precious stones - are pictured above in dark blue, light blue, and grey dotted lines.
Rock crystal may have arrived in Mesopotamia through overland trade networks from far off lands such as Syria and Turkey, or may have simply been picked up in local alluvial deposits. Some stones may have arrived in Mesopotamia as rocks being carried downriver. Evidence for an early workshop of glassy quartz crystal appears early in Mesopotamia at Tell Ouelli (in the Ubaid period, c. 6500-5400 BCE), with later deposits appearing in Tepe Malyan in ancient Anshan (c. 2500-2000 BCE). |
The ancient sites of Tell Oueli and Tepe Mahyan, where rock crystal has been found.
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Sea Routes
As seafaring became more and more advanced, the transportation of stones began to shift seawards, where larger amounts could be shipped at any one time. Carnelian and agate were shipped in finished form from the Indus Valley to Dilmun (the name of ancient Bahrain) in the Persian Gulf, where it was transshipped to Mesopotamia or elsewhere. Lapis lazuli and turquoise likely continued to be that it was transported by land, since their sources were closer to the Great Khorasan Road. Rock crystal, however, was close enough to the Indus Valley that pieces were likely floated down to the coast by river, where it would have then been shipped with carnelian, agate, and other Indus goods. The sea routes of these three stones can be seen above on the map in the red, orange, and grey dotted lines.
In ancient times, the sea routes hugged the shoreline, keeping along the Iranian coast until switching over to the less-rugged Arabian coast. By the Islamic Period, seafaring technology had dramatically expanded and the transport of precious stones was not affected by prior limitations. Though the stone objects in this collection are only from ancient and early Islamic periods, the trade in precious stones exploded onto the world scene with the emergence of ocean vessels - transporting precious stones to all over the world.
In ancient times, the sea routes hugged the shoreline, keeping along the Iranian coast until switching over to the less-rugged Arabian coast. By the Islamic Period, seafaring technology had dramatically expanded and the transport of precious stones was not affected by prior limitations. Though the stone objects in this collection are only from ancient and early Islamic periods, the trade in precious stones exploded onto the world scene with the emergence of ocean vessels - transporting precious stones to all over the world.