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I feel like Anvil is an underrated city. Looking at it's position along the gold coast it seems like the major entry point into Cyrodiil(not the imperial city) for most. I say this because western Tamriel has the more affluent and populated regions while the east has ash-ridden Morrowind, deadly and isolated black marsh and strange ol elseweyr. Death is almost a certainty if traveling long distances by land. While the sea is safer and faster. The mountain ranges to the north and east block off travel, making trade with the Imperial City difficult. Southern Morrowind may have used Stormhold as a junction into cyrodiil but that seems unlikely now because of strained Argonian relations.

Sailing to the Imperial City from Skyrim/Morrowind is also difficult because of the distances involved. While in contrast, the Summerset Isles,Daggerfall, Hammerfell and Valenwood don't appear too far by sea from Anvil. The provinces of western Tamriel are presented as the most prosperous aside from Cyrodiil. So imagine a constant influx of merchants from Daggerfall and Sentinel coming into Anvil. All those people bring in new ideas and more money. I will also argue that sailing in the eastern ocean is more dangerous than sailing the Abecean sea given that Skyrim, Morrowind, and Black Marsh are more rogue-like provinces. Given this I would say there are more pirates/opportunists in this region than the more prosperous Abecean.

With all the merchants and trade that goes on in Anvil, there should be powerful guild banks. In fact if Venice is any example, Anvil could be a powerful city state and compete with the other major provinces on it's own. All in all I'd say the imperial city is the current seat of power, but like Washington D.C. it ain't no New York.

I think the issue is what exactly they are shipping in? The mountains of Cyrodiil provide plenty of metals, and we know there are many mines scattered around the province. The fertile lands in the Nibenay provide plenty of food and the wool from sheep can provide clothing, as can growing cotton. There just isn't anything really to import from those provinces besides taxes, and that money goes through Anvil to the Imperial City, but it doesn't stay in Anvil. Any other province specific things are going to be imported as luxury items, but we know from history that importing luxury items doesn't make the port a major economic center. I just don't see anything that would be imported from the provinces in sufficient quantities to make Anvil the economic capital of anything.

What's the time frame? Is this Anvil circa 4E 201? Or Anvil at the end of the third era? or just in an overall sense?

Jeancey wrote:I think the issue is what exactly they are shipping in? The mountains of Cyrodiil provide plenty of metals, and we know there are many mines scattered around the province. The fertile lands in the Nibenay provide plenty of food and the wool from sheep can provide clothing, as can growing cotton. There just isn't anything really to import from those provinces besides taxes, and that money goes through Anvil to the Imperial City, but it doesn't stay in Anvil. Any other province specific things are going to be imported as luxury items, but we know from history that importing luxury items doesn't make the port a major economic center. I just don't see anything that would be imported from the provinces in sufficient quantities to make Anvil the economic capital of anything.

Looking at Venice again, during it's time under Byzantine rule it was much under the same situation. It was far flung to the west of the core of the empire, trade city, but it would eventually grow to become powerful enough to lay siege and conquer the capital of the empire: Constantinople.

I agree you are right about the more fertile land in the east**, however I think you are underestimating the power of financial services(essentially the most important factor for Venice's rise) and overestimating the need for natural resources. Singapore is also another example of a city with no natural resources yet because of it's important location for international trade it is the most successful city in the region.

MetaCthulhu wrote:What's the time frame? Is this Anvil circa 4E 201? Or Anvil at the end of the third era? or just in an overall sense?

I'd like an overall sense, though I did bring up the Argonian mess, so 4E is the main focus. But feel free to bring up anything from previous eras.

The difference is, Cyrodiil as the heart of the empire has everything it needs. Constantinople needed to import many things, and did so from the provinces. Venice rose to power because of merchants, yes, but those merchants relied on an existing need for trade by ship. As far as we can tell, there isn't much trade traveling by ship anywhere in Tamriel. Anvil can't single handedly create a shipping culture. Sure, some things are shipped, especially locally, but generally most things travel by land. Even in Vvardenfell, they travel by ship to the mainland and then by caravan to other parts of the empire. There just isn't really a shipping culture. This is what happens when you have a single large continent without major bodies of water in the interior. The reason Venice was so powerful and why Singapore is powerful is because there are large bodies of water between it and other powerful cities/countries.

If you look at the United States, for example, the vast majority of trade is still by truck, even though we have many major ports. This is because we don't have large bodies of water in the interior of the country. There just isn't a way for Anvil to create that trade, and thus it wouldn't be an economic capital.

Jeancey wrote:The difference is, Cyrodiil as the heart of the empire has everything it needs. Constantinople needed to import many things, and did so from the provinces. Venice rose to power because of merchants, yes, but those merchants relied on an existing need for trade by ship. As far as we can tell, there isn't much trade traveling by ship anywhere in Tamriel. Anvil can't single handedly create a shipping culture. Sure, some things are shipped, especially locally, but generally most things travel by land. Even in Vvardenfell, they travel by ship to the mainland and then by caravan to other parts of the empire. There just isn't really a shipping culture. This is what happens when you have a single large continent without major bodies of water in the interior. The reason Venice was so powerful and why Singapore is powerful is because there are large bodies of water between it and other powerful cities/countries.

If you look at the United States, for example, the vast majority of trade is still by truck, even though we have many major ports. This is because we don't have large bodies of water in the interior of the country. There just isn't a way for Anvil to create that trade, and thus it wouldn't be an economic capital.

Great point. It all goes back to the culture and education of Tamriel. All it takes is a mastermind to run Anvil and develop counting houses. For this to happen the education has to be there. As far as I know there aren't any banks or if there are, they are very few in the whole of Tamriel. So the supposed merchants that are in Tamriel are quite primitive at this stage.

Though I will say with Alinor/Thalmor(?) emergence a navy and control of the seas may become more important in the story of elder scrolls.

A navy has always been important, but mainly for attacking or defending Tamriel from outside forces. They defeated the Sloads with the All-Flags Navy, and a naval force transported an army from Tamriel to attack Akavir, but in general Tamriel doesn't trade with those outside of Tamriel.

Nowadays most commercial traffic inland is done by railroad and trucking on highways systems where engineering brings an advantage to land travel (low rolling resistance and aerodynamic drafting of trailers slung along in a train arrangement). Traditionally, before the invention of mechanical propulsion, land commerce was a slow affair compared to shipborne traffic (and shipping still reigns supreme even to this day).

Cyrodiil does have an advantage: the Niben river. A canal system fed into the natural river system would allow waterborne traffic into the interior of the province— and the interior of Tamriel itself, as it turns out.

Inter-province commerce will undoubtedly change throughout Tamriel once local deliveries are handled by the Aldmerizon Company's growing fleet of unmanned chaurus drones.

I think that, from a lore perspective, the waterways of Tamriel are far more active than we've seen in the games. The Niben, for instance, should be bustling with ships. When a TES game finally has a more water-based, naval experience (hopefully TESVI), that should become apparent.

Looking at this map, it seems the problem for Anvil is the west coast is too civilised, and Anvil has too much competition, especially from Leyawiin.
Also, if you read The Argonian Account you'll find that the merchants of Tamriel all prefer over-land routes rather than waterways when it comes to moving food supplies (even though it's detrimental to all parties involved).

Anvil's fortunes would likely be somewhat tied to how important trade with Summerset/Alinor was during any given period. Does Summerset have many high-end or specialty goods that would interest Imperial elites in the heartland? Spices, silks, tea, coffee? Magical goods? Products of High Elven craftsmanship, art, etc?

Conversely, Altmer merchants might seek goods from the Imperial province, or to pick up goods in Anvil that were shipped there along inland routes for dispersal throughout the west.