Ea-nāṣir

Life and business activity

Wilhelmus F. Leemans describes Ea-nāṣir in his 1960 publication, based on the clay tablets found in Ea-nāṣir's probable residence in Ur, as a prominent wholesale merchant who purchased copper in Dilmun and shipped it by waterway to Ur for resale to various traders. Ea-nāṣir is believed to have spent extended periods in Dilmun, where he received orders and complaints from Ur, which he brought back with him upon his return. His greater interest in this palace-related activity is seen as a possible reason why he paid less attention to his private business relationships. In addition to copper ingots, Ea-nāṣir also traded in copper products and occasionally in textiles and foodstuffs or, according to Michael Rice, "anything in which he could see an opportunity for profit."

What is thought to have been Ea-nāṣir's house was given the address of number 1 Old Street by the excavation team. It is however possible that instead this was a division that took place after Ea-nāṣir's death.

The clay tablet with Nanni's complaint was found by Leonard Woolley in Ur in 1953. It is since then housed at the British Museum.

Complaint tablets

Nanni's complaint tablet

According to Nanni's complaint tablet, Ea-nāṣir had agreed to sell some copper ingots to Nanni, but presented Nanni's servant with poor-quality ingots while mistreating and undermining him, and stated the equivalent of "take it or leave it" in a dismissive manner. Enraged, Nanni wrote:

Elsewhere in the tablet, Nanni quotes an excuse Ea-nāṣir used previously:

In popular culture This statue of an unknown worshipper is often used to represent Ea-nāṣir in modern day popular culture.

Around 2015, the customer–merchant exchange preserved by the tablet and Ea-nāṣir's rhetoric rose to prominence as the subject of several internet memes on Reddit, Tumblr, and other online platforms. His collection of customer complaints has led to him being portrayed as a trickster character.

Since Ea-nāṣir's emergence in popular culture, a statue of an unknown Mesopotamian worshipper from the Tell Asmar Hoard has commonly been used to depict Ea-nāṣir. However, the statue is older than Ea-nāṣir by approximately a thousand years.