society, institutions, law, and economy 65
reflect the same global conditions as documents from the 9th–8th centu-
ries B.c.”191 the lists tell us about the work carried out as well about the
economic situation of small farmers after the assyrian annexation in the
7th century B.c. e. Lipiński gives the example of the farmer iššar-dūri,
who owned approximately 54 hectares of land, an orchard, and an ox.
about half of his land was tilled.192 the amount of farmland was sufficient
to supply the farmer and his family and, in good years, to sell a surplus of
the harvest to buy other necessary goods. in bad years, however, they had
to take out loans of grain and seeds.193
4.2 Economic Goodsmost of the products that were produced and sold are not mentioned in
the aramaic sources, but there is evidence of them in the assyrian trib-
ute and booty lists, in the texts from the victory stelae, and on the palace
reliefs of the assyrian kings. these enumerate or represent luxury goods
of the élites of the conquered regions as well as natural goods or raw
materials and other goods as tribute. Luxury goods like temple equipment
and precious furnishings; raw materials like gold or other metals, ivory,
and timber; precious textiles like byssus or purple dyed linen; and natural
goods like grain or animals (oxen, sheep, horses, and also elephants) are
mentioned. many of these goods, such as ivory carvings, might have been
produced in Syria.194 ezek 27: 17, in the old testament, hints at the export
of precious stones, purple or multicolored cloths, and byssus from the
aramaean states to phoenicia.195 ezek 27: 18 verifies the export of wine
from damascus to phoenicia.
the states in western Syria profited from their proximity to the strong
economic power of phoenicia. damascus and hamath, in particular, prof-
ited from their location at the end of the overland trade routes leading
from the east to phoenicia and the mediterranean. the new aramaean
rulers in western Syria were also able to organize enduring coalitions
against the assyrians. they were therefore able to maintain their eco-
nomic independence longer than the aramaean states in eastern Syria.
191 Lipiński 2000a: 515.
192 Lipiński 2000a: 519f.
193 For loan contracts, see Lipiński 2000a: 522.
194 cf. section 2.1, above.
195 in this text ‘aram’ is emended to ‘edom.’ Lipiński 2000a: 542 suggests interpreting
‘aram’ as the name for the whole of Syria.