This chapter follows on from the Geography chapter in demonstrating how the Mesopotamians coped with their limited natural resources by creating trading networks to north and south, especially in the Babylonian period.

The home page explains why trade was so important in Mesopotamia, which lacked many necessary raw materials.

The story is about learning to be a Babylonian merchant. On the journey pupils are given choices, thus involving them in the ‘writing' of the story. This section could be used to introduce pupils to the landscape of Mesopotamia, transportation and natural resources, or to develop further exercises in imaginative writing.

The explore allows pupils to discover the different methods of transport in Mesopotamia and the variety of goods being traded. This could be used for research or to investigate why some materials were carried further than others.

The challenge involves trading goods with three different sets of merchants. The pupil has to get the best deal and explores the idea of barter as a means of exchange.