Fisheries in Ur III Southern Mesopotamia

The increased complexity of state management, following a rapid territorial expansion, pushed the Ur III administration (2112–2004 BC) to integrate the production and redistribution network with commodities and food providers which have been previously handled at a limited local scale. Fish and fishermen were among them. After 30 years since Robert Englund’s seminal study on Sumerian fisheries, new evidence provided by the northern provinces of the realm and newly edited textual sources encouraged a reconsideration of the data. The present contribution aims at quantify- ing the actual circulation of fish through the analysis of its distribution pattern, as well as at identifying possible fishing grounds and processing centres. Further, fishermen’s participation to the institutional economy will be evaluated.