The Tamkarum

• The tamkarum acted as the banker of the trading post because he gave out loans.

• The tamkarum also acted as a merchant because he passed the loans onto other tamkarum in exchange for money.

• The tamkarum made a profit off of loans by charging an interest rate, which means that the merchants had to pay back more than they borrowed.

• The tamkarum would use his profit to buy and sell other goods.

Conclusion

• The banking and business tactics used by the tamkarum and the Assyrian merchants were similar to those used in Europe and the Americas about four millennia later.

• This is why the Assyrians were known to be a very advanced and wealthy trading society.