Bitumen, readily available in the Middle East, was combined with sand in ancient civilizations to manufacture asphalt, which was used as mortar and weatherproofing compound in brick buildings. Scientists have collected samples of asphalts from the Zagros mountains and Mesopotamia, extracted with toluene and analyzed the bitumen by liquid chromatography, and determined that asphalts from the two areas were clearly different in the percentages of bitumen and sulfur. The question remaining is whether or not bitumen used for asphalt in Ninevah, Babylon, and Ur of the Chaldees was obtained locally or imported. This information would throw light on commerce and technology in the area during this period. Problems in analysis such as standardization of procedure and gathering a wide range of samples are mentioned. The use of x-ray diffraction is proposed. -- AATA