The Ancient Cities and Global Trade of Palestine : A 7,000 Year History

For millennia, and despite its relatively small size, Palestine, located at the intersection of three continents, enjoyed wealth, prosperity and flourishing cities and civilisations. The ancient world’s trade systems and trade routes were fundamental to the emergence of early urban life in ancient Palestine. In fact, the impact of international trade on both ancient and modern Palestine as a whole was radical and transformative. Despite this, the overwhelming majority of publications on Palestine focus on the modern period and overlook the long history of Palestine and its ancient cities and civilisations. This book addresses the lacuna. It provides a long history of Palestine, uncovering the ancient trading and industrial cities from Antiquity, the Middle Ages and throughout the modern period. Spanning 7,000 years of history, the study reveals the extent to which the global trade and local, indigenous industries of Palestine, including its iconic craft industries, have shaped the urban social, economic and cultural life of the country over successive periods. Based on extensive archaeological discoveries and documentary evidence, Nur Masalha challenges Orientalist and Biblical myths of pastoralism, and brings iconic, famous and forgotten trade brands to life. These include: the Neolithic Age obsidian trade; the Calcolithic Age and Bronze Age copper industry of the Naqab; the ancient cities of frankincense and spices; the Red Sea-Gaza silk route; the textiles of Beisan; Gaza wine; gauze and silk weaving from Asqalan and Gaza; Al-Khalil glassware; Acre and cotton export to Europe; Nablus soap; and Jaffa orange. The book is a record and testament of the real cultural, intellectual and historical significance of Palestine.