Prophets and Markets: The Political Economy of Ancient Israel5 by predations of the sea peoples. However, the weakening of Mycenean seapower, the destruction of the Hittite kingdom, and finally, the limitation on Philistine strength resulting from the alliance between David and the king of Tyre in the eleventh century, combined to open up "for the Phoenicians, in the first quarter of the first millennium B. C. E. vast overseas trading areas" (Oded 1979a, p. 228). By the end of the eleventh century, pottery from Cyprus, after a long absence could once again be found in Israelite-occupied sites (Albright 1960, p. 47). The expansion of the sea trade in the Mediterranean in which, judging by the song of Deborah (Judg. 5), the northern tribes of Asher and Dan (?) (see figure 1-2) would have parti cipated, was accompanied by the inauguration of camel caravans trans porting the goods of southern Arabia to and through Israel (see Bulliet 1975, especially p. 36). Military victories over the Philistines and Syrians, receipts of tribute, and the collection of tolls from the control of trade routes together with the general revival of trade all contributed to Israel's growing wealth. Indeed, the David-Solomon period (most of the tenth century) is often portrayed as the peak of Israelite economic development. In fact there is precious little extra biblical evidence supporting this portrayal. For example, in spite of the reported activity of David and Solomon's scribes, only one example of 6 "Hebrew" writing from this period, the Gezer Calendar, has been found. |
Contents
THE ISRAELITE ECONOMY IN THE EIGHTH | 11 |
Metalworking and Mining | 17 |
Brands Management | 29 |
The Samaria Ostraca and Warehouse Facilities | 35 |
Routes Costs and Monopoly Power | 41 |
Economic Importance of Land and Water Transport | 42 |
The Economies of Israels Neighbors | 57 |
Land Market | 73 |
PRIESTS PROPHETS | 121 |
The Political Potency of the Prophets | 139 |
16 | 191 |
Cultic Reforms and Consequences | 213 |
Socioeconomic Reforms and Consequences | 229 |
Summary and Conclusions | 247 |
265 | |
292 | |
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Common terms and phrases
According altar Amos Amos's Ancient Israel ancient Near East apkallu Arabah archaeological Assyrian Babylonian Beer-sheba Bethel Bible biblical bread century B.C.E. chapter Chron Chronicles contract covenant creditor cultic dating Deut Deuteronomy economic Egypt Egyptian eighth century Esarhaddon evidence example excavated Exod Exodus Ezekiel father Genesis Gilgal grain Greek Hazor Hebrew Hezekiah Hosea Imlk inscription interest Isaiah Israelite jars Jeremiah Jeroboam Jeroboam II Jerusalem Jewish Josiah Judah Judean Kings labor Lachish land later Leviticus loans Lord Masoretic text Megiddo merchants Mesopotamian Micah millennium Na'aman northern kingdom Note Nuzi Pekah perhaps period Philistine Phoenician points poor possible pottery priests probably Psalm reference reign role Roman royal sacrifices Samaria Sennacherib Septuagint seventh century Shechem shekels shepherd silver slaves social justice suggests Tell temple teraphim term thee Thomson thou trade Transjordan translated tree Ugaritic unto verse Via Maris wine word worship Yahweh