The Economy of the Later Roman Province of Third Palestine (Archaeopress Roman Archaeology)

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the evidence for the economy of the later Roman province of Third Palestine, which roughly corresponds to southern Jordan, the Negev desert in Israel, and the Sinai Peninsula. It begins with a discussion of the historiography and attempts to create modern models (cliometrics) to explain the ancient economy. After covering this foundational material, the author uses archaeological data, papyri, and literary sources to understand agriculture and pastoralism in the largely arid province, and he examines the limited evidence for the urban economy and industry, focusing on ceramics and copper production. The next chapter looks at regional trade in the province by plotting the finds of four amphorae types and also examines the trade in fish from the Red Sea through faunal remains and papyri. The chapter ends with a discussion of the date trade and the records of a particular caravan described in the Nessana papyri. The focus then shifts to the role of international trade, including Red Sea trade through the port of Aila and trade with Mecca. Next, the economic impact of monasticism and pilgrimage on the province is appraised. The final chapter critically evaluates the role of economic modeling and quantification for understanding the economy of Third Palestine. It argues that the ancient economy was neither primitive, nor modern, but something unique that should be approached without introducing contemporary assumptions.

Walter D. Ward is Professor and Chair of the History Department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the author of two books, Mirage of the Saracen: Christians and Nomads in the Sinai Peninsula in Late Antiquity (2014) and Near Eastern Cities from Alexander to the Successors of Muhammad (2019), and the editor of The Socio-economic History and Material Culture of the Roman and Byzantine Near East: Essays in Honor of S. Thomas Parker (2017).