{"id":28849,"date":"2018-06-20T11:50:14","date_gmt":"2018-06-20T15:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=28849"},"modified":"2019-05-08T16:38:35","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T20:38:35","slug":"the-philistine-marketplace-at-ashkelon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/daily-life-and-practice\/the-philistine-marketplace-at-ashkelon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Philistine Marketplace at Ashkelon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A WINDOW INTO ANCIENT ECONOMICS AT PHILISTINE ASHKELON. At the Philistine marketplace in Ashkelon, people visit the wine and butcher shops and examine a shipment of Greek pottery, placed next to some local Philistine cooking pots. An Egyptian official stands nearby as silver is weighed on the scale. The artifacts found at the marketplace in Philistine Ashkelon illuminate ancient economics. Credit: Balage Balogh\/ArchaeologyIllustrated.com.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Perhaps at first glance, a study of ancient economics does not sound as interesting as examining ancient battles or treasure-filled tombs. Yet arguably the results of such a study are more valuable for reconstructing daily life for the average person. The seventh-century B.C.E. (Iron Age) marketplace at Philistine Ashkelon\u2014the only archaeologically-demonstrated marketplace in the ancient Near East\u2014provides a window into ancient economics. In \u201cBuy Low, Sell High: The Marketplace at Ashkelon\u201d<\/strong><\/a> in the January\/February 2014 issue of BAR<\/strong>, Daniel Master and Lawrence Stager<\/a> examine what was traded and by whom at this Philistine sea port.<\/p>\n

Unlike other coastal cities with ports separate from the city, Ashkelon\u2014one of the five cities of the Philistine Pentapolis mentioned in the Bible<\/a>\u2014was situated directly on the sea, with its marketplace overlooking the Mediterranean. Not surprisingly, the economy of Ashkelon was based on maritime trade. Experienced seafarers, the Philistine merchants traveled far and wide, crossing the Mediterranean world and forging economic and political ties as they went.<\/p>\n

In 604 B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzar conquered Philistine Ashkelon, burning it to the ground. While utterly devastated, the Iron Age city was sealed in the process, and it is thanks to this act of destruction that the marketplace\u2014and its record of ancient economics\u2014is so well preserved. Through archaeological excavation of the Ashkelon marketplace, the bustling world of the Philistines before their demise has been revealed. Archaeologists have gained insight into many aspects of Philistine life\u2014from their imported luxury goods to their local cooking ware to even their diet!<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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FREE eBook: Life in the Ancient World<\/strong>. Craft centers in Jerusalem, family structure across Israel and ancient practices\u2014from dining to makeup\u2014through the Mediterranean world.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t