Researchers at the University of Haifa found that even in the tenth to eighth centuries BC, at the height of the conflicts between the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Aram, shepherds continued to move their flocks between open grazing areas, including remote areas beyond the vicinity of Hazor.
Even during periods of military conflicts and changes in the borders established between the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Aram during the Iron Age II, from the tenth to the eighth century BCE, the daily lives of the shepherds and farmers in the region continued almost uninterrupted, according to new research by the University of Haifa published in the scientific journal PLoS ONEThe study was conducted at the Tel Hazor site in the Upper Galilee, which served as a direct meeting point between the two kingdoms, and reveals that the political borders were not perceived as a barrier that was forbidden to cross, but remained permeable and flexible. "Our findings show that the movement of herds was not restricted even during periods of high military tension. The data changes what we thought about the ancient borders and shows that they were permeable and local in nature, allowing ordinary people to continue their daily lives," said Dr. Shlomit Bachar, from the University of Haifa, one of the study's editors, who is directing the excavation at Tel Hazor.
During the tenth to eighth centuries BCE, society in the southern Levant underwent major political and social changes. Territorial kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Aram-Damascus, established themselves and fought each other for regional control, building institutions of government and fortifying borders. Many studies have examined the functioning of cities, worship, and struggles between ruling elites, but the direct effects of conflicts and border lines on the daily lives of the population remain unknown. In the current study, Prof. Cheryl McCravitsch, Dr. Bacher and Prof. Nimrod Marom, from the School of Archaeology and Maritime Civilizations at the University of Haifa, and doctoral student Sarah Martini, from Yale University, sought to examine whether the border lines between the kingdoms restricted the movement of shepherds and access to grazing lands, which were the economic basis for the existence of rural communities and the support of government.
Hazor in the Hula Valley served as a point of friction
To examine the impact of borders and conflicts on the movement of shepherds and herds, the researchers used advanced analytical methods that allow them to identify grazing patterns and seasonal movements of animals. They collected and analyzed the teeth of flocks of sheep, mainly sheep and goats, found in the Hebrew University excavations at Tel Hazor in the Hula Valley, an area that served as a direct point of friction between the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Aram. Using stable isotope analysis in the teeth of goats and sheep, including measurements of the chemical elements: strontium, oxygen and carbon, the researchers were able to reconstruct the places where the herds grazed throughout the year. The method made it possible to identify whether the animals were limited to grazing areas close to the settlement or also migrated to more distant areas, such as the Golan Heights, thereby understanding how permeable the political borders were in practice and how they really affected the daily lives of rural communities.
The results of the study indicate that the movement of shepherds and flocks was not restricted even during periods of military tension between the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Aram. The data showed that the animals grazed both in the fields and pastures close to Tel Hazor and in more distant areas, including the Golan Heights region, which was then considered a point of friction between the kingdoms. According to the findings, the pastures remained open and accessible, and economic life in the border areas proceeded almost uninterrupted. "The surprising result is that despite the wars and struggles between the elites, the shepherds and farmers in the area managed to continue to migrate with the herds and maintain an almost normal daily life. This indicates local agreements, connections between communities, and cooperation that are not always evident in historical sources, but are what allowed ordinary people to exist even when the political border changed around them," concluded Prof. Makrevich.
The researchers believe that the study findings provide a new perspective on how ancient borders actually functioned, and can also illuminate contemporary questions about the functioning of borders in rural areas.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
