Understanding the origins of business is fundamental to grasping modern life, yet most historians look no further than the nineteenth century for their narratives. While the industrial revolution profoundly shaped business practice and much of the corporate organization we recognize today, the full sweep of business history actually begins much earlier, with the initial cities of Mesopotamia. In the first book to describe and explain those origins, Roberts travels back to the society of ancient traders and consumers, recasting the rise of modern business and underscoring the parallels between early and modern business practice.理解商业的起源是掌握现代生活的基础，然而大多数历史学家的叙述只限于19世纪。虽然工业革命深刻地塑造了商业实践和我们今天所认识的许多企业组织，但商业历史的全面发展实际上要早得多，始于美索不达米亚的最初城市。在第一本描述和解释这些起源的书中，罗伯茨回到了古代商人和消费者的社会，重塑了现代商业的兴起，强调了早期商业实践和现代商业实践之间的相似之处。