The Dilmun Trader

From the Ea-nāṣir archive:

UET 5, 643 is a list of fifty folks investing in four traders. These traders sailed from southern Iraq to Bahrain and back via Gulf. These coffers may have been literal reed baskets or something more abstract. Ea-nasir was one of those investors.

The sea traders left port at the head of the year (early spring), having spent November through March fundraising. When they made their return, it was likely after the summer shamal winds had subsided. Dilmun traders didn't travel every year, as evidenced by some of Ea-nāṣir deeds (months 3, 6).

Also, (at least) two of the investors were women. They don't appear to have been naditu-priests, an institution that allowed women to engage in economic enterprises. Instead, they're defined by their marriages to prominent citizens.