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The Merchants of Middle-earth - Page 5

© Michael Martinez

The great wealth which the Exiles accumulated in their first 110 years helps explain how Elendil and his sons could raise such a great army. Armies must be paid, equipped, and supplied, and only a strong economy could have supported the immense forces Elendil and his allies assembled for the 10-12 years of war they experienced (the martialling of forces began two years after Sauron attacked Gondor). In the late Second Age Arnor and Gondor were probably cut off from the rest of Numenorean Middle-earth. The southern lands were possessed by the Kings Men, who became the Black Numenoreans, supporters or Sauron and traditional enemies of the Faithful. Gondor would thus have been a more junior partner in the economic relationships between the Faithful Dunedain and their allies. But after Sauron was defeated and Isildur was lost in the Vales of Anduin Gondor drifted away from Arnor's sphere of influence. As Arnor declined in population, wealth, and power, Gondor extended its boundaries north, east, and south, coming into contact with peoples who had lain outside Gil-galad's influence. The shift away from Arnor in Gondor's policies must have hurt the economy of the northern kingdom. With the decline of Lindon as a major power Arnor had only the Dwarves left with whom to trade, and Tolkien doesn't tell us anything about their relationships in the Third Age. The influx of Hobbit peoples early in the second millenium undoubtedly brought new wealth to the kingdoms of Rhudaur and Cardolan, but they could not restore the northern Dunedain to their former power. The situation in Eriador must have been very confusing for several centuries. With three Dunadan kingdoms there were probably three coinages. Did the Elves and Dwarves also mint their own coins? Disparities in resources and the constant bickering and feuding between the Dunadan realms would have further weakened the northern economy. Dwarven merchants probably passed with impunity through Eriador. Elves were also probably not harassed. But Cirdan's people and the remnant of Gil-galad's kingdom were dwindling. Prospects for trade would have been limited. The Dwarves still needed food, the Dunedain still needed ores and perhaps stone for construction. The rise of the realm of Angmar in the north would actually have helped to stabilize the situation among the Dunedain in some ways. Rhudaur was soon destroyed and Cardolan so weakened it became virtually reintegrated into the kingdom of Arnor (Arthedain). Arthedain's influence thus increased with the intervention from Lindon and Rivendell (Elrond even enlisted aid from Lothlorien in the wars against Angmar). A single Dunadan coinage would thus have been restored to the north and it's doubtful that Eriador ever again experienced a diverse coinage. Hence, the pennies that Bilbo and Butterbur gave out were probably equivalent in value and form.

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