Excavations in the ancient town of Kanish have yielded a large amount of
texts and objects from the Middle Bronze Age. Most of these were found
in the sector occupied by an important Assyrian trade colony. The
thousands of clay tablets contain a wealth of details on life during the
19th c. B.C. The role played by the Assyrian merchants was pivotal in
the local bronze manufacture; they imported tin and participated in the
Anatolian copper trade. The author has investigated in this book the
origins, the diffusion and the use of this copper by analysing (often
previously unknown) texts and by using results of archaeological and
metallurgical research. This yielded new insights about the terminology
used in the texts and about the role played by Assyrian trading houses
and authorities, as well as by the local rulers. To illustrate this, 20
texts in translation are included. Apart from a catalogue presenting the
data on terminology and prices available in the texts, the book contains
several appendices concerning artefacts related to copper and bronze
production (moulds, artefacts, Assyrian words). Extensive indexes also
facilitate the use of this publication.