* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Books about the arts and some haunts for a Denton October – Denton Record-Chronicle

    Uncover Artistic Treasures and Spooky Adventures to Experience in Denton This October

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

    Penn State-Themed Restaurant and Entertainment Spot Happy Valley Live Set to Open in State College – StateCollege.com

    Penn State-Themed Restaurant and Entertainment Spot Happy Valley Live Set to Open in State College – StateCollege.com

    The Police Made Chart History With This 1979 Hit Nearly 50 Years Ago – Yahoo

    How The Police Changed Music Forever with Their Iconic 1979 Hit Nearly 50 Years Ago

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    A Tech Expo Shows What China Can Make, but Not Who’ll Buy It All – The New York Times

    Inside China’s Tech Expo: Cutting-Edge Innovations Face Uncertain Demand

    Steampunk Metal Oval Technology Sense Sunglasses Personality Handmade Chain Multicolor Sunglasses UV400 – The San Joaquin Valley Sun

    Steampunk Metal Oval Sunglasses with Handmade Multicolor Chain – Bold UV400 Protection and Unique Style

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as Chief Technology Officer – Yahoo Finance

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as New Chief Technology Officer

    Saving Energy and Money with Smart Technology – Terms of Service with Clare Duffy – Podcast on CNN Podcasts – CNN

    Saving Energy and Money with Smart Technology – Terms of Service with Clare Duffy – Podcast on CNN Podcasts – CNN

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Books about the arts and some haunts for a Denton October – Denton Record-Chronicle

    Uncover Artistic Treasures and Spooky Adventures to Experience in Denton This October

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

    Penn State-Themed Restaurant and Entertainment Spot Happy Valley Live Set to Open in State College – StateCollege.com

    Penn State-Themed Restaurant and Entertainment Spot Happy Valley Live Set to Open in State College – StateCollege.com

    The Police Made Chart History With This 1979 Hit Nearly 50 Years Ago – Yahoo

    How The Police Changed Music Forever with Their Iconic 1979 Hit Nearly 50 Years Ago

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    A Tech Expo Shows What China Can Make, but Not Who’ll Buy It All – The New York Times

    Inside China’s Tech Expo: Cutting-Edge Innovations Face Uncertain Demand

    Steampunk Metal Oval Technology Sense Sunglasses Personality Handmade Chain Multicolor Sunglasses UV400 – The San Joaquin Valley Sun

    Steampunk Metal Oval Sunglasses with Handmade Multicolor Chain – Bold UV400 Protection and Unique Style

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as Chief Technology Officer – Yahoo Finance

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as New Chief Technology Officer

    Saving Energy and Money with Smart Technology – Terms of Service with Clare Duffy – Podcast on CNN Podcasts – CNN

    Saving Energy and Money with Smart Technology – Terms of Service with Clare Duffy – Podcast on CNN Podcasts – CNN

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home General

Meet Ea-Nasir, a shady ancient merchant—and modern meme

October 17, 2023
in General
Meet Ea-Nasir, a shady ancient merchant—and modern meme
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

History & Culture

“I shall inflict grief on you!” is just one of the threats irate customers directed at Ea-nāṣir, a shady copper merchant who operated in Mesopotamia some 4,000 years ago.

ByErin Blakemore

Published October 16, 2023

• 6 min read

About 3,770 years ago, a disgruntled trader named Nanni fired off a litany of woes about a transaction gone awry, giving a piece of his mind to the allegedly unscrupulous merchant—a fellow Babylonian by the name of Ea-nāṣir.

Though this all took place in the ancient city of Ur (in what is modern-day Iraq), the complaint resonates with modern consumers, with claims of shady financial dealings, low-quality product, and a serious lack of customer service. So much so, actually, that the complaint letter enjoys a Guinness World Record as the world’s oldest, and Nanni’s grievances from four millennia ago have now inspired a seemingly endless string of memes, comics, and in-depth comparisons on the internet.

So who was Ea-nāṣir, and why is Nanni’s complaint letter so compelling thousands of years after it was written?

‘I shall inflict grief on you!’

The notorious tablet was discovered in Ur about a century ago, when an expedition led by famed archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley unearthed why may be the home of Ea-nāṣir, including a slew of business documents recorded in cuneiform writing on small clay tablets. Among them was Nanni’s complaint. Dating from 1750 B.C., the palm-sized tablet is inscribed in Akkadian, the language spoken in ancient Mesopotamia at the time. Today, the tablet is part of the collections of the British Museum.

The letter, dictated by Nanni, slams Ea-nāṣir for promising “fine quality copper ingots,” then failing to follow through on the deal. Instead, Nanni complains, the merchant has sent low-grade copper, treated him and his messenger with contempt, and taken his money—seemingly because Nanni owes him “one (trifling) mina of silver.” (A mina was the equivalent of approximately one-fifth of an ounce.)

When Nanni’s messenger attempted to dispute the quality of the copper with Ea-nāṣir, Nanni claims, he was dismissed: “If you want to take them, take them,” Ea-nāṣir reportedly said. “If you do not want to take them, go away!”

Nanni is livid, both about the low-quality copper and the merchant’s treatment of his assitant. “I will not accept here any copper from you that is not fine quality,” he angrily concludes, according to one translator. “I shall…select and take the ingots individually in my own yard, and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt.”

In another translation, Nanni warns that “Because you despised me, I shall inflict grief on you!”

The earliest globalization

The letter crackles with anger across the millennia, and for archaeologists like professor Lloyd Weeks of Australia’s University of New England, who studies metal production and exchange in the ancient Near East, it captures the realities of an ancient economy in miniature.

The copper Nanni complains about was destined for critical use in everyday items like tools, vessels, and cutlery, and as such was an important commodity in Bronze Age Mesopotamia. At the time, Ur was a powerful Sumerian city-state located on the Persian Gulf and an important hub of a vast trading network, but because Ur was not metal-rich, Weeks explains, traders had to seek copper more than 600 miles away in Dilmun, on the island now known as Bahrain.

To afford the expensive journey, individual merchants would band together to finance an overseas copper purchase, each putting up capital in the form of other commodities like silver and sesame oil. These private ventures would then sell the copper, splitting the proceeds among themselves and paying tithes and taxes to the palace and (possibly) temples. In the complaint, Nanni references paying 1,080 pounds of copper to the palace—evidence of the tithes exacted by Sumerian royalty.

Why care about the complaint of a wronged customer nearly 4,000 years later? Held together by bonds of class, personal reputation, and mutual need, this early global economy was astonishingly complex—and all because of merchants like Ea-nāṣir and Nanni.

“People talk about globalization as a modern phenomenon,” says Weeks. “The Bronze Age is typically the first period where archaeologists and economic historians feel that they can look at the effects of globalization. It may not encompass the entire planet, but it encompassed large areas of Eurasia at this time.”

A notorious merchant

As it turns out, Nanni wasn’t the only one with a complaint against the merchant; in fact, the British Museum has even more evidence of Ea-nāṣir’s crooked copper dealings. On another tablet, someone named Imgur-Sin exhorts Ea-nāṣir to “transfer good copper to Niga-Nanna…Give him good copper, so that I will not become upset! Do you not know that I am weary?”

The copper baron’s reputation for inferior product had obviously gotten around Ur: In yet another communique to the copper baron, a trader named Nar-am demands: “Give [Igmil-Sin, Nar-am’s messenger] very good copper! Hopefully the copper in your care has not gone out.”

But given the durability of Ea-nāṣir’s customer service problem, perhaps it’s only fair to give him the last word. Remarkably, a note from the beleaguered Babylonian merchant survives—and unsurprisingly, it’s full of copper-caused drama. In the letter, Ea-nāṣir tells a man named Šumum-libši and a coppersmith not to overreact when two other men come to them in search of some missing metal.

“Do not be critical,” advises Ea-nāṣir. “Do not fear!”

Solid advice from history’s most famous copper con man.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/ea-nasir-copper-merchant-ur

Previous Post

How to plan the ultimate adventure in the Himalayas, from beginners’ hikes to Everest base camp

Next Post

The curious stories of the UK’s most historic trees

‘This is unprecedented:’ Ecology restricts surface water use in the Yakima River Basin – Yakima Herald-Republic

Unprecedented Move: Ecology Imposes New Restrictions on Yakima River Basin Surface Water Use

October 4, 2025
Roane State, TCAT Knoxville mark milestone at new health science campus – Oakridger

Roane State and TCAT Knoxville Celebrate Major Milestone at New Health Science Campus

October 4, 2025
Science Hill blanks Morristown East – Johnson City Press

Science Hill Cruises to a Commanding Shutout Over Morristown East

October 4, 2025
Favorite Halloween candies in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas – Yahoo

Discover the Most Beloved Halloween Candies in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas!

October 4, 2025
MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

October 4, 2025
Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki opens up about pitching in relief – Yahoo Sports

Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki opens up about pitching in relief – Yahoo Sports

October 4, 2025
Ageing and health – World Health Organization (WHO)

Ageing and health – World Health Organization (WHO)

October 3, 2025
CFOs confident in their own companies but not in the economy – CFO.com

CFOs Reveal Unshakable Confidence in Their Companies Amid Economic Uncertainty

October 3, 2025
Books about the arts and some haunts for a Denton October – Denton Record-Chronicle

Uncover Artistic Treasures and Spooky Adventures to Experience in Denton This October

October 3, 2025
WFSD Announces Northwell Mental Health Partnership – William Floyd School District

WFSD Announces Northwell Mental Health Partnership – William Floyd School District

October 3, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (850)
  • Economy (870)
  • Entertainment (21,744)
  • General (17,397)
  • Health (9,913)
  • Lifestyle (883)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (872)
  • Politics (881)
  • Science (16,081)
  • Sports (21,371)
  • Technology (15,853)
  • World (853)

Recent News

‘This is unprecedented:’ Ecology restricts surface water use in the Yakima River Basin – Yakima Herald-Republic

Unprecedented Move: Ecology Imposes New Restrictions on Yakima River Basin Surface Water Use

October 4, 2025
Roane State, TCAT Knoxville mark milestone at new health science campus – Oakridger

Roane State and TCAT Knoxville Celebrate Major Milestone at New Health Science Campus

October 4, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version