The Unique Specialised Economy of Judah under Assyrian Rule and its Impact on the Material Culture of the Kingdom

The geography of Judah is unique among the territorial kingdoms of the southern Levant, featuring four distinct regions with the potential for exploitation in different economic strategies. In the Iron IIB the vassal kingdom experienced a dramatic economic transformation directed by the Assyrian emp...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Finḳelshṭayn, Yiśraʾel 1949- (Author) ; Gadot, Yuval 1967- (Author) ; Langgut, Dafna (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group 2022
In: Palestine exploration quarterly
Year: 2022, Volume: 154, Issue: 4, Pages: 261-279
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Writing / Ostrakon / Lmlk seal / Administration / Olive industry and trade / Viticulture / Bible. Josua 15 / Judah (Monarchy)
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
HD Early Judaism
HH Archaeology
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The geography of Judah is unique among the territorial kingdoms of the southern Levant, featuring four distinct regions with the potential for exploitation in different economic strategies. In the Iron IIB the vassal kingdom experienced a dramatic economic transformation directed by the Assyrian empire, from traditional Mediterranean subsistence to specialised economy based on its four zones: viticulture in the highlands, oleo-culture in the Shephelah, services to the Arabian trade in the Beersheba Valley and date and exotic plant groves in the Dead Sea Valley oases. This high-risk/high-gain system may clarify the development of advanced administration, which, in turn, explains the unique features in the material culture of Judah compared to neighbouring kingdoms: The system of stamped handles and weights and the proliferation of scribal activity. The division of the kingdom into districts, as portrayed in Josh 15, is connected to this reality, and hence probably originated slightly earlier than conventionally argued.
ISSN:1743-1301
Contains:Enthalten in: Palestine exploration quarterly
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/00310328.2021.1949531