CHARACTERISTICS OF FAIRS
Ya r i dis the common term employed in the Toseftaand the Talmuds for the
fair.^1 According to Z. Safrai’s work on the subject, this term is comparable
to a rare and antiquated meaning of the Greek term, katabainô,“to descend”
(1984, 139–58). In Greek, it was more common to use pangypisor, at times,
agora.Latin employs nundinaeor simply mercatus(analogous to shuk^2 in
Hebrew), which are not found in rabbinic literature. The Talmudic corpus
also employs atlaz(especially in relation to the fair held at Aza), which is
equivalent to the Latin atelus,a place “free of taxes.” Shukis used in the Tal-
mud to signify a more localized market.
Features of the ancient Mediterranean fair are known primarily from
Greco-Roman sources. Ramsay MacMullen wrote an article on the sub-
ject, using information culled from ancient central Italy (1970, 333–41).
He noted that the fairs operated at set times of the year. Taxes at these
fairs were waived or greatly reduced. We are not certain as to the amount
of this reduction, but it was significant. A wide variety of items were avail-
able, many of them luxuries. Religious worship was connected with the fair.
MacMullen claims that “the most important factor of all was the connec-
tion between religion and commerce. A particularly clear illustration lies in
the worship of Jupiter Nundinarius or Mercurius Nundinator, by persons
known to be merchants” (1970, 336). The shrines of various gods, most
notably those of Jupiter and Mercury, provided ready-made sites for crowds
and fairs to gather. Many other festivals were associated with the sale of
commercial goods.
The fair also served social functions, and sexual activity took place. The
fair was held in or near a city (polis) or in an open area in a village. The fair
was accorded prestige by the king under whose authority it fell. At times,
a fair was arranged to complement the beginning of a king’s reign. Official
acts also took place: laws were passed, judgments granted, and so on.
Such aspects of the fair, which are indeed varied, were not only func-
tional but also introduced by the king, landowner, or magnate (or other
74 PART I •RIVALRIES?
1 Manuscript evidence for the Toseftasuggests that yaridis also written yarud. Tosefta Avo-
dah Zarahhas three manuscripts: Vienna, Erfurt, and editio princeps.Vienna (Lieberman’s
choice of text in his Tosefta) is more reliable and reads yarud,but the other two witnesses
(Erfurt, used in Zuckermandel’s 1888 edition) record yarid.I have employed the more
familiar and contemporary yarid.
2 Shavakimwere better established than fairs; the former took place on Monday and Thurs-
day. Public fast days and some forms of legal activity were also typical at marketplaces.
Theshukwas characterized by these and by many other elements common to the fair (e.g.,
worship, sale of all kinds of goods), but one important distinction must be recognized:
theshukdid not have a decrease in taxes, a feature discussed below.