Land and economy in ancient Palestine / Jack Pastor.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-277) and index.

1. Land: its role in the economy and society. Famine and landownership. Dietary needs. Population. The size of plots. Land uses -- 2. The Persian Period. The return. The food crisis. The debt crisis -- 3. The Early Hellenistic Period. Alexander the Great. The Ptolemaic period -- 4. The Late Hellenistic Period. The Seleucid period. The Hellenistic reform. The evil decrees -- 5. The Hasmoneans. The Maccabean revolt. The famine of 160 BCE. Jonathan. Simon. John Hyrcanus I. Judah Aristobolus I. Alexander Yannai. Shlomzion -- 6. The Early Roman Period. The conquest. Gabinius. John Hyrcanus II -- 7. The Herodian Period. Herod. Archelaus. Herod Antipas -- 8. Judea Under Direct Roman Rule. The census of Quirinius. The prefects. The Jewish aristocracy. The strike. The famine. Unemployment. The Great Revolt -- 9. Epilogue: From Yavneh to Bar Kokhba. Yavneh. The revolt of Bar Kokhba -- 10. Conclusions -- Appendix. weights and measures.

Land and Economy in Ancient Palestine is a study of the economic crises throughout the Second Temple Period. It establishes that the single factor of the economy which united all aspects of life in ancient society was land. Through study of a wide variety of sources, including the New Testament and classical authors, Jack Pastor looks at who owned land, and how they came to possess it. He examines the various ramifications of landownership in ancient society to ascertain its effect on livelihoods, government policies and revenues. A special emphasis is placed on debt and famine as social and economic problems with ties to the landholding structure.