Archaeological Sources for the History of Palestine: Between Large Forces: Palestine in the Hellenistic Period Author(s): Andrea M. Berlin Source: The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 60, No. 1, Hellenistic Palestine: Between Large Forces ( Mar., 1997), pp. 2-51 Published by: The American Schools of Oriental Research Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3210581 Accessed: 08-09-2015 15:20 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The American Schools of Oriental Research is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Biblical Archaeologist. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.197.26.12 on Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:20:44 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions C'' Da U S 0 The Sidoniantomb at Mareshah:the interiorof the central hall of the largestand most elaboratelydecorated of the painted tombs found at Mareshah.The doorway at the rear leads to three individuallarge chambers;the lintel of the southern one carriesthe epitaph of Apollophanes,who led the town's Sidoniancolony. The tomb's painted friezes includeboth real and fantasticanimals, some of which are named ("leopard,""ibis"), wreaths, eagles, and tables carryingprize oil-amphoras-these last are modeled on the famous Panathenaicamphoras of Athens. Photo by RichardT Nowitz. This content downloaded from 128.197.26.12 on Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:20:44 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions in the HellenisticPeriod By Andrea M. Berlin N 332 BCEALEXANDER THE GREAT LED HIS ARMY SOUTH FROM Background:Devastation and Recovery Cilicia towards Egypt. Although his ultimate goal was (586-301 BCE) Persepolis, the capital of the Persian empire, he realized Alexander the Great would probably take poorly to the that proceeding there directly would open his flank to notion that his were not the decisive campaigns in this region's attack from the southwestern Persian satrapies. Egypt was history. Nevertheless, the archaeological record is unequiv- the strongest of these, from both a military and an economic ocal: the era's most devastating events were the Assyrian standpoint, and its conquest could not be delayed. Alexan- and Babylonian conquests of Israel and Judah in the late der thus turned down the ViaMaris and led his Macedonian eighth and early sixth centuries BCE.Their battles left a swath forces through Phoenicia, the coastal plain of Palestine, of material effluvium in the form of massive destruction and the northern stretches of deposits (e.g., Lachish) and Sinai. With this juncture of Palestinepossesses also Well, ours is not a mar- collections of weaponry (e.g., military and topographical harbors, well-situated, itime country; neither Jerusalem). The broadly coincidence, the Persian which supply its needs, that commerce nor the inter- depopulatedzones of Samaria period in Palestineended and at Ascalon and Joppa, and course which it promotes and Judea reflect the conse- the Hellenistic period began. Gaza as well as Ptolemais, with the outside world has quent exiles of thousands of An historical period is founded by the king.... any attraction for us. people. These two human- usually delineated by spe- made events carriedthe force cific political events, which Letter of Aristeas 115 Josephus, Contra of natural disaster, at least often do not affect or coin- Apionem1.60 partially severing the devel- cide with the continualeddies opmental continuum of the and swirls of ordinarylife. In preceding centuries.The pat- the case of the Hellenistic period, its inaugural and subse- terns of the next centuries would be determined by the form quent military clashes comprise the bulk of most historical and direction of the eventual recovery. reconstructions. In order to assess what life was actually like That recovery came from two different sources, for two in Hellenistic Palestine, however, the full range of the archae- differentreasons. Tradersand colonizers were the first source, ological evidence also needs to be incorporated. This study coming by sea, some from the Greek world, but most from presents the period's material and architecturalremains, ana- Phoenicia. The entire length of the Palestinian coast was in lyzes changes in settlement patterns, and evaluates each fact divied up between the southern Phoenician cities of Tyre region's material culture, in order to understand how the and Sidon, a politically clever machination on the part of the inhabitants in various parts of the country lived, and how Persian king. So the jurisdiction of Tyreextended as far south their lives changed. Looking outside of the historian's ago- as Akko (and its hinterland), while the plain between Dor nistic filter,the country appears to have been largely peaceful. and Joppa was Sidonian, and Ashkelon was again under Tyr- Up until the end of this period, most residentsbecame increas- ian control (E. Stern 1982:238-43; 1995a:432). In this ingly wealthy and cosmopolitan. The most common effect manner, the Palestinian coastal plain was repopulated, turn- of the many campaigns fought in and over the region was ing its face and tying its fate to the currentsof the Mediterranean. simply the abandonment or repopulation of certain areas. The cities depended on the agricultural health of their ter- Lifestyles and routes of exchange continued in the patterns ritories for subsistence, but upon small industry and trade of previous centuries, because they were ordered by two for their prosperity. forces more fundamental and long-lived than battle forma- The Persian administration in the east provided the tions: commercial opportunity and religious affiliation. second source of recovery. Benificent and tolerant rulers This content downloaded from 128.197.26.12 on Tue, 08 Sep 2015Biblical 15:20:44Archaeologist UTC 60:1 (1997) 3 All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions singled out the Jews for repatriation, allowing the exiles to return to Judah and Jerusalem. There they rebuilt not only An Outstretched Hand: the temple, but significantly also the city walls. The Jews con- Ptolemaic Economic Policies stituted a religious enclave, with their lives centered around For most residents of Palestine during the third century the rebuilt temple and its rites and duties. prescribed Beyond BCE, livelihood was affected by at least one of three subsistence farming, pursued those crafts whose they only administrative policies: the regulation and heavy taxation were of ritual use (see list of in Neh products professions 3). imposed on all commercial tax and The remains of the Persian are thus exchange; farming; royal archaeological period ownership of good agricultural land Land"). While of two sorts. On the settlement con- ("King's understandably coast, this last was in inherited from the Persian centrated in cities and large part previous large villages, including Nahariya, administration, the first two were Ptolemaic innovations. Akko, Shiqmona, Dor, Tel Mikhmoret, Tel Michal, Joppa, Taxation regulations are particularly interesting for what Yavneh-Yam,Tel Mor, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Gaza. These information they provide on regional commercial activities. were with various small industries, bustling including dye One of the Zenon papyri (P. Cairo Zen. 59.012) contained a installations (found at Dor, Tel Michal, and Apollonia-Arsuf, detailed account of goods imported into Egypt from Syria, Tel Mor), wine presses (found at Tel Michal), and commer- according to the rates of taxes levied, respectively 50%, 33X %, cial storehouses (found at Ashkelon). Mediterranean traders 25%, and 20% (Austin 1981:407-10). The list notably included came and went, bringing from beautifully painted pottery items from around the Aegean, imported and reshipped from Athens and east Greece, from metal and sculpture Cyprus, Phoenicia, e.g., the honey is specified as from Theangela, ivory handiwork from that enlivened the Phoenicia-goods Rhodes, Attica, Lycia, and Coracesia. The variety of goods material world of these coastal settlements 1991a; (Stager emphasizes the important position of this coast in the eastern E. Stem 1993, 1995a). Mediterranean economy. In the central hills, on the other hand, there was but one city: Jerusalem. Small farmsteads dotted the region; set- Items taxed at 50% Items taxed at 25% tlement was fragmented and dispersed; few villages can grape syrup Chian cheese be identified. This area's material remains were poor and filtered wine fish (dried, pickled, salted) simple, the buildings largely unadorned. Lifestyles were ordinary wine wild boar meat untouched by the sophisticated goods available in the coastal white oil Goat-meat plain (E. Stem 1981). Samian earth This was the scenarioin the days before Alexander's army Items taxed at 33 %% nuts (Pontic and "hard") swept through the land. And after the flames died down and Chian wine pomegranate seeds the dust had settled, this is the pattern that largely reasserted Thasian wine sponges (hard and soft) itself. dried figs honey Still Waters:A SubjectLand (331-200 BCE) Items taxed at 20% wool Alexander met his objectiveof subduing and taking Egypt pure in 332/1 BCE.Reversing his route of the previous year, he made for Persepolis as directly as possible. This took him back through Palestine, where he stopped just long enough 301 that something of a settlement was concluded. Two of to assign a second new governor to the former Persian satra- these generals, Ptolemy and Seleucus, had taken Egypt pal seat at Samaria.According to one ancient source, unhappy and Asia, respectively. They divided the intermediate zone residents had killed his first appointee, one Andromachus between them, with Ptolemy holding Palestine and south- (Curtius Rufus 4.8.9-10).