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Published online 7 January 2002 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news020101-9
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Ancient traders suffered boom and bust
Alexander the Great's death plunged Babylon into economic turmoil.
Ancient Babylonian trading markets were as volatile as our own, says an economic historian. Prices of agricultural goods in the city fluctuated hugely, and the death of Alexander the Great triggered two decades of economic instability1.
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