Mediterranean Symbolic Exchange

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1) What are some examples of symbolic exchange in the Iron Age of the Mediterranean? The most obvious symbolic exchange during the Iron Age in the Mediterranean region was the invention of the smelting of iron. Iron could be made into tools and weapons of war. This technology was available to everyone, not just the elite. The creation of an alphabet by the Phoenicians spread the concept of reading and writing to the masses as well and may have been a catalyst for a marked increase in entrepreneurialism. The Phoenician alphabet and their idea of civilization flourished among the Greeks, leading to the frenzied production of poetry, plays, and philosophy. In contrast to the Phoenicians who used the seas as a network to deliver goods and technology, …show more content…

Any of these items could be considered part of a down the line exchange if the recipient, after claiming a desired amount, passed the remaining portion on to another recipient either by selling, trading, or giving it as a gift. The Phoenicians themselves were great traders and mastered navigation of the seas to establish a trading network. The freelance Phoenician traders would carry a wide assortment of goods to regional shores including the coveted purple cloth made from the dye of a sea snail found near Tyre. The Iron Age also experienced an explosion of the merchant class, creating a host of profit seeking, independent, traveling middlemen. Emissary traders had to contend with a new trade and power dynamics as well. What was once received freely from an oppressed people, must now be purchased. For example, Welamon, an official from a temple in Thebes, Egypt, came to the Phoenician city of Byblos to procure cedar wood. Expecting to receive the wood for free as had his predecessors, he was surprised to discover that this was no longer the case and he would be required to pay. One final, perhaps murky, example of emissary traders are the Phoenicians who were forced to pay tribute to the Assyrians. The Phoenicians, representing their country’s government, traded the goods of the tribute for freedom and