2496 B.C.
The sun started to cast long shadows as we traveled on our advanced oxen carts for many moons to reach a place they called 'the market.' We hear that many people who live far from this place meet here to exchange items. We hear stories that the place they live in is in the rockier hills where there are no trees. There are so many stories I have heard about them from my elders in the village who have gone to great lengths in their youth to see what is out there.
Our elders exchanged items with them in what they called 'the trade.' This was new, as we always exchanged and bartered within our tribe, but exchanging items with other people is very new for all of us. This is exciting as well as dangerous, as we have heard so many stories that they hold magical powers and can mold metals according to their wants. These magicians can also take our soul. So the elders told us to be cautious and keep all the items of god with us all the time, which can save us from their spells if they try to use them on us.
I am excited as this is my first time coming for the trade. When the travelers finally arrived, they brought with them things we had only heard of, like brightly colored cloth, small beads made of carnelian, and even a few copper tools. They laid their goods out in front of us on large, woven mats, and we did the same with ours- cotton, dried fish, and pottery made by the skilled hands of our tribe’s women.
I was young, but I was chosen to do the exchange by the elders because I am good at bargaining. And I have learned that exchange is all about bargaining. As I was going through the items they had brought, my eyes were stuck on the copper tools. This wasn't anything I had seen in my life. We have used tools, but they were mostly made of wood, stones, or bones. But these were different. They were shiny, strong, and capable of doing things our tools can't do.
The man from the mountains saw me looking at the tools. He pointed at one of the tools and then showed his finger to the bag of cotton I had brought with me. This was clear that what he wanted was a direct exchange.
I looked at him, and he smiled, showing his crooked tooth. He was tall and had deep eyes, and a scar was running down his cheek. Probably from a wild animal, but I don’t know if they have animals where they come from. I smiled back.
I wanted to make the exchange as soon as he pointed, but I had learned from my elders not to show my excitement. But this exchange looked so profitable. Cotton was everywhere in our land, but this rare copper tool was nowhere to be found. I could exchange this tool for so many bags of cotton, but he wanted just one.
I nodded to him, and he nodded back, confirming that we could proceed with the exchange. We handed the cotton bag to them, and they passed the copper tools to us. As I held one in my hand, I felt its weight and smoothness. This wasn't just a tool, but a new way of doing things, a step forward for our people, and probably an entirely new age.
We exchanged simple greetings with smiles and nods to show our appreciation as we started moving. All the stories I had heard since childhood about 'the people from dry mountains' felt like mere fictitious fables, far from the truth. They were very different from us in terms of clothes, food, and speaking, but they were so much like us in all other ways.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, I realized that this trade was more than just an exchange of goods. It was the beginning of something new. By trading with other tribes, we were opening ourselves up to new ideas, new ways of living, and new relationships. The copper tools I brought back to our village would change how we worked, how we built, and how we saw the world around us.
This was the first of many trades with other tribes. Each time, we learned more about the world beyond our own, and our lives became richer with it; not just in the goods we received, but in the knowledge and connections we gained.
