Posted on 11/22/2017 12:16:14 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Baked clay tablets from ancient Assyria, dating back as much as 4,000 years, could reveal the locations of 11 'lost cities' in modern-day Turkey.
Harvard researchers analysed tablets found in the ancient city of Kanesh, the 12,000 cuneiform trade records include business transactions, accounts, seals and contracts.
The researchers used mathematical models based on the price of goods and how frequently goods travelled between trade hubs to track down the locations of the ancient cities.
Researchers reconstructed an economic network of trade goods such as wool, wine and precious metals across the Anatolian plateau in the 19th Century BC.
The researchers believe they've identified 15 cities which have already been found – and 11 which have not, according to IFLScience.
The merchants settled in Turkey 4,000 years ago, trading in tin and fabrics.
Records include recollections from traders, including one who wrote, 'I met with the king in Ninassa, but . . . he did not buy a single textile.'
The city of Sinahuttum is described as a 'market for donkeys' and a popular place to exchange wool
The records come from Kanesh, near the modern Turkish city of Kayseri.
(Excerpt) Read more at metro.co.uk ...
Ancient GPS coordinates.
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