In 260-258 B. C.E., an official named Zenon traveled to Syria-Palestine on behalf of his boss, the Ptolemaic finance minister Apollonius, to assess the country's prosperity and revenues for tax purposes. Papyri from the ancient site of Philadelphia in Egypt's Fayyum document Zenon's journey, shedding important light on settlements and living conditions in Ptolemaic Palestine. Zenon sailed up the coast from Alexandria and landed at Straton's Tower. The sites that he visited included Kedesh (which provided him with food supplies and the luxury of a bath), Jerusalem, Jericho, Birtha in the “land of Tobiah" (Iraq el-Amir), and Marisa. The papyri provide evidence of a lucrative trade in olive oil, grain, and wine, and frequently mention slaves as well. For example, Zenon sent five letters to officials at Marisa concerning five young slaves that he purchased during his visit there, who had escaped and returned to their former masters. Other papyri document gifts of rare animals and young slaves sent by Tobiah to the Ptolemaic king and to Apollonius.
Production of certain vessels such as bowls and oil lamps. Before the early Hellenistic period, oil lamps were wheel-made, and local Palestinian lamps were simply bowls with a pinched rim for the nozzle. Mold-made oil lamps were manufactured in two parts, upper and lower, which were joined along the sides. Mold-made pottery is easy to identify because it usually is decorated in relief, with delicate raised designs covering the surface of the vessel (an effect that is difficult to achieve on a potter's wheel). In addition to being mold-made, early Hellenistic oil lamps are characterized by a round body with a small filling hole in the center, and a long, narrow nozzle. They typically are decorated with geometric or floral designs in relief, and are covered with a black or gray slip.
The local pottery of Palestine in the early Hellenistic period continues earlier native traditions and generally is undecorated. The discovery of relatively large numbers of imported Greek wine amphoras in Jerusalem may be connected with the presence of Gentile soldiers who were stationed in the Akra. Many of these amphoras come from the City of David. Often they have inscriptions stamped on the handles, which indicate the source of the wine and the name of the official who oversaw production. Most of the amphoras found in Jerusalem contained wine from the island of Rhodes, which was exported widely around the Mediterranean in the early Hellenistic period.
World History
