Were the central Negev settlements suppliers or importers of Gaza wines

Bibliographic Data

ID12374540
AuthorsJon Seligman (0000-0002-9740-5754, Israel Antiquities Authority, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume33
Pages249-270
Publication date2020-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Roman Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1047-7594 • E-ISSN: 2331-5709
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1047759420001002
OpenAlexW3092044459
LanguageEN
Citations received6

In 2011 during a study tour of Sobata (Shivta), a debate took place concerning the likelihood that the central Negev settlements of Elusa, Sobata, Oboda, Ruheiba and Nessana (fig. 1) were significant partners in the trade of prestige Gaza wines during the 5th and 6th c. A.D. I challenged the participants as to whether these sites’ production facilities were of sufficient magnitude to produce a wine surplus for shipping across the Roman world and whether the transport of a bulk product in relatively heavy amphoras to the seaports at Gaza and Ashqelon c .100-120 km distant was both physically feasible and economically viable in the absence of paved roads. This paper will analyse a series of factors, including demography, agricultural technology, wine production capacity and transport possibilities to evaluate the region’s potential and the likelihood of these settlements playing a part in the wine trade of Gaza and Ashqelon

Agricultural economics · Agricultural science · Agriculture · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Business · Economics · Economy · Gaza strip · Geography · Human settlement · Palestine · Prestige · Product (mathematics · Production (economics · Wine · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Environmental Science · History · Mathematics