Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1183IR // #c1183Synthesis

"they [Carthaginians] come here and unload their cargo; then, having laid it out along the beach, they go back aboard their ships and light a smoking fire." "if it seems to them a fair price for their cargo, they take it and go away; but if not, they go back aboard and wait, and the people come back and add more gold until the sailors are satisfied."

— In our words · Source: Carthage: A New History (Eve MacDonald)

[Use when]

You have to strike a deal with no common language and no trust.

[Why it matters]

Herodotus describes Carthaginian traders dealing with a people whose language they didn't share. Each side set down its offer and withdrew. Nobody touched the other side's goods until one side accepted, so the turns did the negotiating.

Filed under situations:When the other side has more leverage

More from Carthage: A New History

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