As you write, be sure to make note of three things:
(1) What was the structure of the long-distance trade? That is: what was carried? who carried
it? how did they carry it? from where did they carry it? to where?
(2) How do we, as researchers, detect this long-distance trade? That is: what is the evidence
that this process occurred?
(3) What was the importance of this long-distance trade to the development or maintenance of
the society at one end of the trade route or the other? That is: what role did it play in
supporting the social and/or political structure of that society?
INSTRUCTIONS:
(1) Your essay should be 1600-2000 words (4-5 pages) long. Too much less will mean that you
haven’t addressed the questions, and too much more will mean that you aren’t writing
concisely and cleanly. You essay must be clear, and well written.
(2) Do not spend too much time on an introductory section. There is no need to restate the
development of social complexity in Eurasia as your introduction. As with earlier essays, you
should write in an informal, but clear style. Don’t try to sound “professorial.” (I sure don’t!)
(3) Quotations: DO NOT USE A QUOTATION THAT IS LONGER THAN FIVE WORDS IN YOUR
ESSAY. If you want to bring in an idea from something you have read, use your own words to
explain it, and then put in a citation, so the reader knows where the idea came from.
(3) Your essay should cite at least 5 different published sources. You may reference any relevant
readings that have been assigned for the class, and at least two other sources that have not
been assigned. Any non-assigned sources should be books or articles (many of which can be
accessed online) but probably should not be web sites.
There are some good websites about ancient trade out there, but they are few and far
between. If you find one that you think reaches a good academic standard and you want to use
it as part of your research, email me to ask about it.
Any website used as a source without my approval will result in grade deductions.
(4) Citations in your essay (and there should be many) should use this format:
There is evidence that professional merchants and traders acted independently, and
not on behalf of the state (Barjamovic 2019:86).
(5) DO NOT WRITE:
As Gojko Barjamovic wrote in his 2019 article titled “Mesopotamian Economy
and Trade,” here is evidence that professional merchants and traders acted
independently, and not as agents of the state.
That just looks like you’re trying to pump up your word count. This sort of “citation” will result
in grade deductions.
Instead, write your sentence like the one above in (4). Writing that is concise and clear is the
goal.
(6) you need to cite sources even if you are not making a direct quote.
(7) the citation is part of the sentence; you write the author, date, and page number(s) and
then the period (if the citation comes at the end of a sentence).
(8) Any references that you did not get from the Blackboard site should be listed in a
“Bibliography” or “References Cited” section at the end that gives the source’s full reference so
that I can examine your sources of information. (That section doesn’t count toward the word
limit.)
(9) When you cite a journal article or book that you found on the web, cite the original
publication information (journal title, book name, publisher, etc.) not the URL. So, if you are
citing the article by Barjamovic (2019) in your essay, you should list it in your bibliography as:
Barjamovic, G., 2019, Mesopotamian Economy and Trade. Pages 82-95 in A. Lassen, E. Frahm
and K. Wagensonner (ed.s) Ancient Mesopotamia Speaks. Highlights from the Yale
Babylonian Collection. New Haven, CT: Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
You should not list it as:
https://learn.wsu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&mode=designer&
content_id=_4305855_1&course_id=_266329_1
(10) if you are referencing something that I said in class, add a citation that looks like this
(Sugerman, lecture 7). It is much, much better to use citations from academic publications
though.
Remember: if you didn’t know something coming into the class, then you need a citation for it.
If you are writing something that isn’t “common knowledge” then you need a citation for it.
If you are writing “It was a nice day on Friday” then you don’t need a citation. But if you are
writing “It was a nice day on Friday, March 15th, 2000 BC” then you do need a citation for it.