At the end of the Bronze
Age collapse, as the “Sea Peoples” began to take over much of the area of the
Levant, we can see mechanisms in place for the resurgence of an economy in the
area, however in many new ways than was previously seen. There are many examples of Symbolic Exchange
in the area, that is exchange in ideas, symbols, values, etc. The advent of the Iron Age in itself brought
about the use of iron tools, particularly iron weapons which would have the effect
of democratizing warfare. Special weapons
were no longer in the hands of an elite few, but the majority of the troops now
had access to swords and other implements.
The power structures that arose from this were smaller, more mobile
political powers versus the previously seen large, powerful empires. The rising Phoenician trade culture in the
Levant, particularly in the area of modern-day Lebanon led to new expressions
of economy. With this, we see the rise
of an entrepreneurial middle-class that perpetuates to this day in
Lebanon. This new business model middle
class was not based on traditional kingship or military models, but the
hierarchy was more like a modern-day business, with the leader the head of the
network. In addition to changes in
economic models and structures, the Phoenicians brought with them an alphabet
that would become the basis for the written system of many languages. A form of Phoenician would develop into the
N.W. Semitic script of Hebrew, and the Phoenician alphabet was also adopted by
the Greeks. The Phoenician pantheon
would also heavily influence other religions in the area. With the adoption of the alphabet, Greek
society would go on to produce the classical writings and philosophies which
laid the foundation for western civilization.
As large empires began to grow again in the Near East, the Assyrians
then came into the area for conquest.
They quickly subdued many of the region’s inhabitants. One of the outcomes of this was a change in
city planning, particularly in the southern kingdom of Judah. The City of Lachish was purposely modified to
include high walls and a tunnel system to aid its inhabitants in attacks from
the Assyrians.
During this time period, we also see several methods of
distribution when it comes to goods.
There are, of course, examples of direct access as many cities began to
grow with local products, including the purple dye which Phoenicians were known
for and cedar tree lumber which was used to produce ships and large
structures. A “down-the-line” exchange
structure would have existed as one settlement made way for another. Perhaps the largest, or most important,
method of distribution during this time period was the growth of the Freelance
method, owing to the middleman class of traders. Phoenician cities, especially port cities,
became huge centers of world trade. This
is even remarked upon in the Old Testament as Ezekiel lists several large
cities of trade importance. Tyre was
perhaps one of the most important of these, and Ezekiel lists the goods that
were brought to Tyre for further trade:
-From Tarshish: Silver,
iron, tin, and lead.
-From Teden (in Saudi Arabia): Ivory, ebony, and saddle cloth.
-From Sheba:
Spices, precious stones, gold
-From Damascus:
Wine and wool
We also find an example
of emissary trade, as Egypt, no longer as strong a world power as it once was,
sends one of its temple officials as ambassador to Byblos in 1075 BCE. The official, Wen-Amun, wrote of his travel
to Byblos seeking the famed cedars of the area.
In the past, these cedars were given to the Pharaoh of Egypt, due to his
power and control. Now, however, the
tradesmen and chiefs of Byblos brushed Wen-amun off, stating if they wanted
lumber, they would have to pay for them.
Further methods of distribution would come from the return of warfare
and conquest of great empires. When the
Assyrians came to the region, the carried off great amounts of valuables and
slaves, and continued to receive tribute, yearly, from each of their vanquished
regions. So great was the amount of
tribute that the Phoenicians travelled further west on the Mediterranean as far
as Spain to find valuables to satiate the Assyrian kings. They found a major silver mine in Spain that
was used for some time until its overabundance caused the value of silver to
decline. The Phoenicians were master
seafarer’s and navigators and developed important trade routes across the
Mediterranean. The importance of this
cannot be overlooked as this was perhaps one of the most important methods of
trade in this area.
