ABSTRACT
In this chapter we shall examine perhaps the key question in our study of economy: was the economic system of Judaea an open one or a closed one? In other words, was the agricultural system made up of farmers who produced, more or less, their own food needs and what little surplus remained was sold for the occasional “luxury” item? In such a system, agriculture was almost the only means of production. This is what we have called a “closed economy.” The other possibility, or what we have called an “open economy,” is a system in which the individual farmer was extremely dependent on trade and commerce. The farmer in this system cultivated a number of different crops. Some he used himself, but a good deal he sold and with the profits bought all the other goods that he needed. It is generally accepted that the first suggestion, the closed system, was the system that existed in the ancient Land of Israel, including during the Roman period. It is our intention to re-examine the economic data pertaining to the Land of Israel in order to present a complete and balanced picture. Afterwards, we shall have to compare our findings regarding the Land of Israel with the situation in the rest of the Empire.
