Page 61 - Life & Land Use on the Bahrain Islands (Curtis E Larsen)

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The contact by maritime trade has been well outlined by Oppenheim, who
suggests that:
We may well assume that the frequency and intensity of
contact had reached a peak early in the third millennium when
Sargon of Agade proudly proclaims that ships destined for
Meluhha, Makkan, and Telmun were moored in the harbor
which was situated outside his capital. This obviously proves
the existence of flourishing commercial relations with the
East. If this is correct, the active participation of the
seafaring merchants of the Third Dynasty as well as that of
the Dynasty of Larsa could well be considered the second
stage of a development which reflects the diminishing power
of expansion of the East. [Oppenheim 1954:14]
Meluhha was outside the trade sphere by Isin-Larsa times while Magan and Dilmun
remained. During the Third Dynasty of Ur Magan was mentioned more often than
Dilmun and was known as the ’’country of mines” (Oppenheim 1954). Oppenheim
saw Magan as being the only exporter of copper. Dilmun replaced Magan in
frequency of mention in the texts following the collapse of the Ur HI dynasty. In
fact, in the Isin-Larsa texts that Oppenheim used, Magan was not mentioned.
Dilmun never lost contact with Mesopotamia, but during the Old Babylonian period
(1800-1595 B.C.) contact was greatly diminished. While there was occasional
mention of Dilmun during the First Dynasty of Babylon, there were no major
political or commercial relations. Trade of some proportion evidently existed, as
mention is made of a caravan sent by the king of Mari to Dilmun during the reign
of Hammurabi, ca. 1780 B.C. Oppenheim thought these texts fit into a "normal
pattern of activities,” but no indication of imports or exports could be found
(Oppenheim 1954:15). A final clue to Dilmun’s exports in this period comes from
southern Mesopotamia during the reign of the rebel king Rim-sin (ca. 1800 B.C.).
Leemans (1955-1956) lists this additional text, which mentions an order for Dilmun
dates. Whether such dates were a variety or a direct import is unclear. Significant
trade with Dilmun was not mentioned again until the Kassite period (1415-1159 B.C.)
when two letters from Nippur dated to approximately 1370 B.C. showed that
Dilmun was once again a supplier of dates rather than luxury goods. Oppenheim
concluded that: