Given the fact that they took the time to write a formal complaint in clay (something that’s expensive to do in the ancient world), it’s indeed likely that his copper was shitty:
“He sold low grade copper disguised as premium grade. He is a man of low repute, a copper dealer with questionable ethics, who cheats people out of their money.”
Or you know, just imagine that review on Amazon with 1/5 stars and way more expletives.
And there were many such complaints that he kept! It makes absolutely no sense that not only would multiple people lie about his copper being shitty by carving expensive tablets, but that he would keep false complaints about himself. The simplest explanation is that his copper was indeed shitty and he found it amusing that so many people complained about it.
And we’ll never know if his copper really was shitty.
Given the fact that they took the time to write a formal complaint in clay (something that’s expensive to do in the ancient world), it’s indeed likely that his copper was shitty:
“He sold low grade copper disguised as premium grade. He is a man of low repute, a copper dealer with questionable ethics, who cheats people out of their money.”
Or you know, just imagine that review on Amazon with 1/5 stars and way more expletives.
And there were many such complaints that he kept! It makes absolutely no sense that not only would multiple people lie about his copper being shitty by carving expensive tablets, but that he would keep false complaints about himself. The simplest explanation is that his copper was indeed shitty and he found it amusing that so many people complained about it.