Thanks to advanced management skills, the Araba industry became the copper powerhouse of the ancient world
A new study by Tel Aviv University states that thanks to advanced management methods and impressive technological creativity, the copper industry in the Arava three thousand years ago was able to prosper and become the largest and most advanced smelting center in the ancient world. The research was conducted by David Luria From the Department of Archeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures by Jacob M. Alkov in the Lester and Sally Antin Faculty of Humanities, and was published these days in the journal PLoS ONE.
The trial and error method of the ancient world
According to Luria, the copper industry in Canaan at that time was focused on two large factories: one in Timna (north of Eilat), and the other in Pinan (in the north of the Arava, in the territory of Jordan). Previous studies dealing with the subject claimed that the high technological level was made possible thanks to Egyptian technologies that were imported to the region during the campaign of Shishak, King of Egypt, in 925 BC. This approach was strengthened in 2014, following the discovery of a scarab bearing the image of Shishak in Pinan, and later in 2019, following the development A new model that claimed a sudden technological leap that happened near the launch of the voyage.
Luria, on the other hand, claims that the great economic and technological success is not related to the Egyptian abilities, but to the talent of the Arab people who knew how to use two methods known today as "trial and error" (Trial and error), and "controlled increase" (Scaling up). "The Shishak campaign was not intended to physically take over the copper factories in the Arava, but to forge a long-term agreement with the people of the Arava, with the aim of strengthening local production and thus increasing the export of copper to Egypt, which at the time was suffering from local production difficulties. It is clear that these terms of 'trial and error' do not were customary in ancient times, but the application of their practical principles was possible from a basic engineering understanding and 'common sense', known in the ancient world even in places others," says Luria.
According to him, the "trial and error" method allowed the metalsmiths of the Arava to slowly improve the technological processes as well as to increase the scope and quality of production. In addition, the "controlled enlargement" made it possible to increase the dimensions of the existing means of production, using materials and processes that were acceptable at the time, thus developing advanced production equipment with a minimum of time, cost and technological risk.
The secret is in a competent technological level
Luria explains that "it seems that the secrets of the success of the ancient copper industry in the Arabah must be sought in the skills and ability of the efficient managerial level, which is assisted at every stage in its decisions by a competent technological level. Archeology cannot today identify those in charge, but a careful analysis of the remains left in the field is able to tell the The story is confirmed. These findings refer to the remains of production that accumulated as waste piles, which can be dated and whose size is known To assess the scope of production at any time. In addition, through chemical analysis of the copper content remaining in the waste, the nature of the production can be determined, and as the copper in the waste has decreased, it can be concluded that the process has become more sophisticated."
Also, according to him, traces left in the field show that throughout the production period the management team was able to close inefficient mines and open more efficient ones. Furthermore, for some of the time, it was decided to reuse waste from earlier periods, which were produced in less efficient processes and which left a lot of copper in the waste, instead of directly using natural ore. These decisions could not have been made without an excellent technical level, which backed up the management's decisions with regular technological tests. The administrative echelon was also involved in the wide marketing of the copper that was produced throughout the ancient world. "The important lesson from this technological success is that the high-tech of individuals, educated and energetic who lived here in the first millennium BC succeeded, just like today, in bringing about a huge revolution in the economy of the Arava. After all, it has already been said: there is nothing new under the sun," Luria concludes.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- AI economy in antiquity 29: taxes and duties
- Economy AI 31: Grazing "thin animals" - goats and sheep
- An archaeological study unprecedented in its scope reveals the growth story of the biblical kingdom of Edom
- "Asher the Iron Mountain" - the economy of metals in the second century AD under the rule of the Romans
- Herb remains shed new light on the development of the agricultural revolution
