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Such trade, however, characterized the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC), which was a period of many small states or empires that were ephemeral or short-lived, with numerous conflicts between states. In essence, there was relatively high political instability in the Near East, which caused the trade to be somewhat confined in geographic scope and relatively expensive.<ref>For a discussion on the conflicts and kingdoms of the Bronze Age Near East see: Van de Mieroop, Marc. 2016. ''A History of the Ancient Near East Ca. 3000-323 BC.'' Third edition. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons Inc.</ref>

[[File: 640px-Provinces_of_the_Achaemenid_empire.png|thumbnail|Provinces of the Achemenid]]