Migration and trade in the Kingdom of Israel during Iron Age II

Migration and Trade in the Kingdom of Israel

Israel is first noted for its success and trade in the first two centuries of the Iron Age II (the reign of the Kings famously starting with Solomon) when its population expanded and disseminated with Samaria as its capital. It was during these years, too, that the country, although divided into rwo kingdoms, generally banded together in caring for its civic needs and were interdependent on each other in defending themselves from outsiders.

Some of the nations that the Israelites traded with included the Phoenicians, Assyrians, and Egyptians and yet, despite their migration and encounter with other nations, the Israelites became more interdependent one on the other leaning together rather than falling apart.

Their interdependence was all the more closely seen during the conspicuous time of King Solomon when the country received a reputation for its habit of cohesion and pattern of close family and community togetherness, and when the harmony of the nation -- and its interdependence -- was demonstrated in their need to build a Temple. The Temple was the core of the nation, the unifying force, which symbolized the nation as a whole, and to which all efforts of the nation were directed in building.

The interdependence of the nation can too be seen in the hierarchy of its various classes: 1. The layperson; 2. The Levite 3. The priest (and the High priest) 4, and the king / monarch. Each had his specific role and status as well as mission, but existence of each was needed to complete the Jewish nation.

The separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah were located on main international trade routes and although the development of agriculture, handicrafts and intermediary trade led to social differentiation, to debtor slavery and to dispossession of small and middle landowners, the people never lost their interdependence on one another (Johnson, 1996).

II. How the movement of ideas, goods and people affected the culture of

a. Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire reached its most prosperous peak during the Hohenstuafen period when German princes engaged in trade and became interested in exploring and meeting other nations. Ironically during that time too, attention also turned inwards with their facilitating a successful, peaceful eastward settlement of lands in their own country that were previously sparsely inhabited by West Slavs or uninhabited by farmers, traders and craftsmen from the western part of the Empire. Apparently, exposure with others made them more tolerant to themselves. They became more religious too, during this period, as though more confident with themselves and this was also the period when they started proselytizing outsiders such as the Teutonic Knights Christianizing the Prussians in 1226.

Similar patterns can be seen in that same year with Fredrik II who, influenced by his impression from foreign countries, turned his efforts toward establishing a modern, centralized state in Sicily and uniting the German dukes (Wilson, 1999).

Kingdom of Israel

The Israelites became introduced to other nations, assimilated, and, oftentimes, worshiped their idols. At the same time, they imitated their manners and simulated their lifestyles -- a pattern throughout earlier and later history. Affluence also made them religiously lax and indolent as well as self-centered.

At the same time, however, they never lost ties to one another and exposure to other nations and migration simply seemed to make their ties as a nation stronger. The Temple was their point of interest, they were untied under one leader and, generally, the times of the Monarchs (when trading and migration was at its pitch) is generally noted as a more harmonious period of the nation than it was under the times of the Judges (Johnson, 1996).

III. How the growth of global trade led to increased interdependence

Similarities between the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Israel are striking in that both were divided into two separate kingdoms -- the Kingdom of Israel into Judah and Israel and the Byzantine Empire into the eastern and western provinces where the eastern and Mediterranean provinces were more assimilated and Hellenized whilst the western provinces were distinct from cultural or other influences, being more rural and less developed (precisely as the Kingdom of Judah was). With each Empire too, one was more exposed to trade and migration than its sister division and accordingly was more Hellenized, urbanized, and prone to adopting customs of other nations. Yet, each showed a similar pattern of interdependence amongst their own nation, clinging to their mother country and demonstrating a social development and interdependent advanced administrative system despite their exposure to other nations.

As far as the Holy Roman Empire goes, it seems that exposure to other nations via trading and migration enhanced their tolerance towards citizens of their own state resulting in greater efforts towards domestic peacemaking and socialization of their country. In each case, exposure to other countries via migration and trading expanded the country's outlook and whilst broadening their perspective also made them more interdependent causing them to turn back on their own nation for security and to apply the lessons that they learned back home.

Sources

Johnson, P. A History of the Jews, UK: Oxford Univ. Press, 1996

Treadgold, W. A history of the Byzantine state and society. Stanford: Stanford niv. Press, 1997

Wilson, PH. The Holy Roman Empire, 1495-1806, MacMIllan Press, 1999.