The taming of the wilderness: marshes as an economic resource in 3rd millennium BC Southern Mesopotamia

Abstract

The marshy environment of Southern Sumer in the 3rd millennium BC surely had an impact on the local economy that can be sought for in the written sources. The perception of marshes was however twofold: as a prosperous environment in literary compositions and as a place to be tamed for regular, state-controlled exploitation in royal inscriptions. The great majority of attestations of marshes in economic documents refer to field names, thus, probably referring to agricultural units in drained marsh areas. On the other hand, typical marsh resources, such as reeds, fish and fowl, are widely attested in the economic documentation from 3rd millennium BC, although we can rely on very little information as to their provenance. To conclude, both literary and economic texts give hints for an interpretation of the professional figure known as ‘enku(d/r)’, usually interpreted as ‘tax-collector’ or ‘inspector of the fishery’, as an official connected with the management of wetland resources.