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[[File:KültepeKarte.jpg|thumbnail|250px|Figure 1. Plan of Kaneš, a site of a major Assyrian trade colony (indicated as K on the plan).]]

The trade colonies at Kaneš and other nearby towns were often not only conducted by private individuals and households, but they also were opportunities for people to invest in. For instance, texts show that trade caravans were invested by individuals before they set out on journeys. Families would often unite or form trading partnerships so that risk was shared and any loss of cargo would not drastically affect any one trader. While rich profits are shown in these trade transactions, they also came at a high cost, as there was a threat that caravans would be attacked and prices were often relatively high. This likely reflects that the trade for metals in particular may have revolved around elites and not the normal segments of the population.<ref>For a discussion on commodity prices and threat of attacks see: Larsen, Mogens Trolle. 2015. ''Ancient Kanesh: A Merchant Colony in Bronze Age Anatolia''. New York: Cambridge University. Press.</ref> Trade also involved direct transactions of commodities, such as silver and textiles, to be traded for the other. In essence, more abstract forms of business, such as the concept of money, were not yet developed, although metals were already beginning to be considered as a commodity that can be exchanged for a wide variety of goods. In particular, as metals do not decay and have high value, they formed a convenient material for trade to different goods.

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>