DILMUN

The Dilmun civilization lived and died by its ability to facilitate trade throughout Eastern Arabia. Trade provided financial stability for the Dilmun civilization as well as regional security through diplomacy for the people of Dilmun. After being conquered by the Middle Assyrian Empire [i], Dilmun was also conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 8th and 7th centuries B.C.E. In the 6th century B.C.E, the kingdom was ruled by the Neo-Babylonian Empire [ii], and later by the Achaemenid Empire [iii]. The kingdom’s fall began in 1720 B.C.E when settlements stopped being used, and royal mounts stopped being built [iv].

The Dilmun civilization sat in between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley civilization, presiding over trade [v] and diplomatic relationships in the region. The Dilmun civilization played a key role in facilitating the exchange of copper ingots and bitumen from Mesopotamia for textiles and fowl from the Indus region. Supporting competitive advantages helped maintain a political balance between the civilizations. While the Dilmun Kingdom did not have many enemies or allies, the civilization did trade extensively [vi] with Mesopotamia– even before its relationship with the Indus Valley, and later with China and the Mediterranean. This led Mesopotamia to become the Kingdom’s de facto military protector.

Dilmun’s modern influence is largely tied to its religious significance throughout history. In 1922, Eduard Glaser, one of the first Europeans to explore Saudi Arabia, hypothesized that the Garden of Eden was located within the ancient Dilmun civilization. This theory was shared by archeologist and scholar, Juris Zarins [vii] as well. The Sumerians, one of the oldest civilizations in the world located near ancient Mesopotamia, felt that Dilmun was a sacred place as well. Through these glimpses in history, it is believed that the Sumerian Garden of Paradise tale is the basis for the human origins story of the Garden of Eden.

The Kingdom of Dilmun began under independent rule. Its emergence came at a time when the kingdom was prosperous and trade was abundant [viii]. The kingdom came under foreign rule in the second millennium, however, which changed governance in the region, including trade relationships. One key element of pre-conquered Dilmun rule was their traditional Dilmun burial mounds [ix]. Nearly 350,000 burial mounds were created throughout the existence of the Dilmun Kingdom. The mounds have helped archeologists establish reliable timelines for the Dilmun civilization’s development, but are viewed as controversial by some Muslims wanting to reclaim the land for housing or social goods.

Dilmun was an ancient civilization founded in the Persian Gulf [x] around the fourth millennium B.C.E. Its regional ties were cemented by trade. The Kingdom was a key trading hub between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley civilization. The civilization’s proximity to the water helped to facilitate trade, allowing for an exchange of goods and ideas [xi]. However, these waterways also opened up Dilmun to pejorative factors as well, such as rivalries and piracy which hurt trade. While independent at the outset, the Kingdom of Dilmun came under the rule of many foreign parties before giving way to the Persian Empire.

While the Kingdom of Dilmun did not have a heroic character or historic battleground, the civilization’s cultural impact cannot be understated. Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley civilization [xii] were two of the earliest civilizations known to date. They became what we know today as Northern India, Pakistan, and Iran. These countries have outsized modern geopolitical significance, and the development of those countries is due, in large part, to the development and trade made possible by Dilmun in mid-millennia. The kingdom also maintained cultural relevance [xiii], a difficult task in the mid-millennia, compounding the Dilmun’s commercial and political importance with religious significance as well.

The Kingdom of Dilmun’s economy, and in turn financial health, was heavily centered around trade [xiv] The civilization acted as an intermediary for commercial activities in the region and was known to create linkages between abundant agricultural harvests and maritime trade. Traded goods that went through Dilmun included copper, pearls, produce, and precious stones. After the Dilmun civilization was conquered [xv] by the Middle Assyrian Empire in the second millennium, however, its commercial power decreased exponentially. Piracy in the Persian Gulf, a shifting geopolitical landscape with new actors, and new locales and vehicles for trade elsewhere, hurt Dilmun’s fulcrum role in the region.