Ea-nasir: The 4,000-Year-Old Merchant Behind the Meme
In the late 19th century BCE, Ea-nasir, a copper trader in Ur, became notable due to a complaint from Nanni, which is regarded as the earliest Yelp review, now housed in the British Museum. This letter condemns Ea-nasir for his poor treatment of Nanni's messenger and the subpar quality of copper. Discovered by Sir Leonard Woolley in 1930, Ea-nasir's residence revealed 26 cuneiform tablets linked to his business, currently located in the National Museum of Iraq (12), British Museum (7), and Penn Museum (7). Among these are documents related to trade and lists of investors, with Nanni identified as one. The tablets indicate that Ea-nasir managed a shipment exceeding 18,000 kg of copper and owed over 5,000 kg in taxes, suggesting that the depiction of him as a fraudster may be overstated.
Key facts
- Ea-nasir was a copper merchant in Ur around the 19th century BCE.
- A clay tablet complaint by Nanni, often called the first Yelp review, is on display at the British Museum.
- Sir Leonard Woolley excavated Ea-nasir's house, No. 1 Old Street, in 1930.
- 26 cuneiform tablets related to Ea-nasir were found; 12 are in the National Museum of Iraq, 7 in the British Museum, and 7 in the Penn Museum.
- The Penn Museum holds five investor lists, including one that names Nanni as an investor.
- Ea-nasir imported copper from Dilmun (modern Bahrain) and dealt in large quantities, e.g., over 18,000 kg in one mission.
- Four of twelve letters in the archive are complaints, including two from Arbi-turam about the same incident.
- The tablets may have been discarded from a larger archive, possibly by Ea-nasir's children after his death.
Entities
Artists
- Ea-naṣir
- Nanni
- Sin-magir
- Ilšu-tillassu
- Arbi-turam
- Ili-iddinam
- Šumi-abum
- Sir Leonard Woolley
- W.B. Hafford
Institutions
- British Museum
- Penn Museum
- National Museum of Iraq
- ArchiBAB
Locations
- Ur
- Dilmun
- Bahrain
- Mesopotamia
- Baghdad
- London
- Philadelphia
- Larsa