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The Merchants of Middle-earth - Page 4

© Michael Martinez

Pelargir's name implies it was a royal port and fortress, 'royal garth of ships'. As such it may have served as a base of operations for the Numenoreans in their later wars with Sauron, but they never mounted a great expedition against Mordor from there. Instead, it seems to have served to have protected the colonists living along the Anduin's shores, and the Pelargirian ships may have been more involved in scouring the coastlands where the Gwathuirim lived. Numenor's vast empire seems to have developed a trade which benefitted the motherland, much as England's colonial empire benefitted the motherland in the 17th and 18th centuries. Wealth flowed mostly into Numenor rather than between Numenor and its colonies. The colonies thus provided raw materials, slaves, and tributes to the Numenoreans, except where occasional Numenorean adventurers probably established small kingdoms. So commerce in northwestern Middle-earth probably was close to non-existent from the time of the War of the Elves and Sauron to the time of the founding of Arnor and Gondor. The arrival of Elendil and the Exiled Faithful from Numenor would have been preceded by a gradual buildup of Faithful colonists in the preceding centuries who depended less and less on help from Numenor and more on help from the Elves and Dwarves. Trade and commerce should have revived somewhat, especially after Ar-Pharazon took Sauron to Numenor and reduced the Dark Lord's influence in Middle-earth sufficiently to allow Gil-galad to extend his own influence as far eastward as the Vales of Anduin. Elendil thus found a large productive population waiting for him and his sons in Eriador and the southern Vales of Anduin. These peoples, Numenoreans, Edain, and men of mixed heritage, set to work building great cities (Annuminas and Fornost Erain in the north, Minas Anor, Minas Ithil, and Osgiliath in the south), imposing fortresses (Angrenost and Aglarond in Calenardhon), and rich and powerful kingdoms. In the early years Arnor and Gondor communicated mostly by ship (not considering messages passed through the Palantiri). Ships left Pelargir or Osgiliath and sailed north to the Gwathlo river, where they passed upstream to Tharbad (Lond Daer Ened was apparently by now destroyed or long since abandoned). Both kingdoms had extensive farmlands with which to feed their populations, but if Arnor took on the burden of feeding the Dwarves of the Misty Mountains Gondor may have found some benefit in sending food north as well. Of course, trade would also include luxury items such as furs, jewels, precious metals, wines, and special cloths, dyes, and perfumes (to name just a few). A monied economy had probably existed prior to the founding of the Dunadan realms-in-exile, but most certainly one would have arisen or expanded after their establishment.

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