4. Other Authorities. — The immense collection of F'gyplian, Assj-rian, and Itabylonian documents and inscriptions atl'ord much information as to commerce m general, and some, direct and in- direct, as to that of Palestine. The classical authorities, especially Strabo and Plin^, furniHli OS with information as to commerce in general In the GriH'k and Roman periods.
iii. Commerce ok tiik Ancient East.— The Tel el-Amarna tablets show that in B.C. 14i,)0 there
was an extensive commerce between Babylonia and other States of the farther East, and Syria and Egj'pt. The letters passing between the Eastern kinjrs and the kings of E^ypt are full of references to the journeys, to and fro, of caravans, and to the interchange of numerous commodities. Three lists of articles sent by a king of Egypt to the king of Babylon, and of the wedding presents or dowry of an Eastern princess who married a kin^ of Egypt, occupy 14 l;ii;;u octavo pages in small tj'pe (vVinckler, p. 3<J91l. ). Evidence is furnished by inscriptions, etc., of such commerce from an even earlier period, onwaids throughout the Bible history. The series of commercial documents, contract tablets, etc., in Babjlonia from about B.C. 2400, and in Ass3ria from about B.C. 900, bear direct evidence to the existence of considerable internal trade, and imply foreign commerce. At a later time such documents enaV)le us to trace the history of the great Babylonian banking firm of Egibi from the reign of Nebuehadnezzar to that of Darius. In the Times of 10th Oct. 1899 Conder
? noted a letter, which he dated about B.C. 2000, rora an Assjrian merchant to a corresi)ondent in Uai)padocia, asking, ' Can I settle and trade in Cappadocia on payment of a tax, and by living as a son of the land ? ' As.syria and Babylonia received merchandiio from the farther East, and transmitted it westward. The Phoenicians from Tyre and Sidon and other cities were the inter- mediaries of a great sea traffic between Western Asia and the shores of the Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic, and also, for the most part, of the sea traliio between Egypt, Syria, and other Mediterranean countries ( lirman, Life in Ancient Egypt, l'"ng. tr. 15). Later on, this traffic was more and more shared by the Greeks. Egj'pt received the produce — ivory, ebony, skins, slaves, etc. — of Nubia and other countries to the south, andoccasionally sent trading vessels to the ' incense countries,' Punt, etc., i.e. Southern Arabia, Somaliland, and perhaps farther east. The cele- brated queen Hatsh(j]isut (c. B.C. 1.5H0) sent such an expedition (Petrie, IlLit. of Egypt, ii. 79). There was also trade by land between Arabia and Syria, and, by way of the Isthmus of Suez, with Egypt.
In later times four main causes tended to promote and systematize the comnierce of Western Asi.i, and its trade relations with Egypt ami the other Mediterranean countries; (1) tlie establish- ment of the Persian dominion over Western Asia and Egypt, including the Greek cities of Asia Minor and many of the Greek islands ; (2) the conquests of Alexander, the establishment of Greek States with political relations with Macedonia and Greece, ami the founding of numerous Greek colonies throughout Syria ; (3) the dispersion of the Jews; (4) the establishment of the authority of Rome over the Mediterranean countries and Western Asia.
iv. Extent and Development of Israelite Commerce. — We know hardly anything of Israelite trade during the nomad period. Proliably the clans sometimes carried merchiindise between Syria and Egypt (Gn 37'-^ 43"), or e.sco'-ted trading caravans ; and at other times levied tolls or black- nmil upon caravans passing through districts which they occupied. With the sclflement in Can'ian, the Israelites would grndually become involved in the system of internal trade, and of trade with Arabia, Egypt, Pluenicia, and the East which had been established for centuries. I'or .some time this trade would remain in the hands of the original inhabitants, from whom the Israelites would obtain foreign commodities, partly by luir- chnse, [)artlv by plunder, e.g. Achans Babylonish mantle (Jos' 7^')-
804
TRADE AND COiOIERCE
TRADE AND COISIMERCE
In timp the extension of the Israelite territory,
tncrease of wealth, and '"volyed the ^J^^«'^ «^ more largely in the commerce of Syna. 1 he iiniu
The towns must have supplied tlieir ;^n« '™^ the country, and in turn furnished tl.e ^urae^s ^ith some n.an«faeturea articles. J^t hrst,.^no
<^°V^*>,t?f but Jhe %ZthVf Szi^tion would
subjects t«>e r^iit j j^nce, obtains from Ben- r«:d°a^Xri:^htto'la;e'stLtsMn^^ • , »n Ur^e ite trading quarter or bazaar IK 2;^1 ipowerfu king°obtained large quantities orfore^n^commoditief as presents or tnVte, e.g. ?he ^fts of the queen of Sheba and other princes, the giiis oi uic 4 ioi»»l The kuig made
etc., to SoU.mon (1 K 4 lu h^ Moreover, a similar presents in return (1 ^V^ K J'^^rtkles of ^vealthv sovereign would need f°^eign art Ues ol luxury for his court, raatenals for 1»3 buildings
StlTkS n'-s^aid for his tim^ in A^ anroil 5"-). and there were tbe 'presents to friendly princes. David's conquest of bdom (- » ^')hai^pven Israel a nort, EziON-GEBER on t^ie Red Sea, from which Solomon sent ?■ trading lieet partly manned with Phcenician sailors, to 0 L r Fsee Dphiu) for gold, precious stones, etc. (1 Iv *^^r In 10^ this traffic with Ophir is said to Lvebeen conducted by Solomon and Hiram con- • ■„^^„ h.T, mpnns of a navy which sailed e\ery {ree'yea7s,"nTbrought 'g|d silver, ivory apes, fl.nd neacocks.' * Further, Solomon not only im- nortercrses and chariots from Egypt,, but also sold then, to the Hittite and Syrian kings (1 K ^^!^.») The wide extent of Solomons dominions save him an opportunity, of wh.cli he doubtless ^:iued™.imse/f,' to provide for the safety and comfort of the caravans from tie East to 1 ales IZi Naturally the -nimercebvas no entirely in Solomon's hands, and 1 K 10 reters to