WORLD CIVILIZATION

Detailed explanation-1: -The shekel was the basic monetary unit in Babylonia since millennia: it is a weight measure of ca. 8.33 (eight one third) grams of silver, slightly less than the weight of two drachms. Several documents, Greek, Aramaic and cuneiform, maintain that the shekel is the same as two drachms.

Detailed explanation-2: -The economy of Babylonia was based, like that of Sumer, on agriculture. In Sumer, agricultural products such as grain and wool were often traded for goods the Sumerians could not produce themselves. This system was known as bartering.

Detailed explanation-3: -Babylon would trade its agricultural surplus (typically various grains and grain products), oils, and textiles to other cities in exchange for lumber, wine, precious metals and gems, stone, and more.

Detailed explanation-4: -Part of the reason Babylon was able to grow the way it did was due to its strategic location. The empire’s proximity to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers enabled it to scale its agriculture through state-of-the-art irrigation techniques, as well as engage in lucrative trade.