BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY:AGRICULTURE,IRRIGATION,WINE PRODUCTION,SUMERIA,NILE VALLEY,EUPHRATES RIVER

	ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE BIBLE	RETURN TO HOME PAGE
	AGRICULTURE Bible Study Resource
WHAT	Over 90% of the people in the ancient world were farmers or herders, living off the land. It was hard work, but necessary for survival. See BIBLE PEOPLE: NOAH for the Bible's story of the first tiller of the soil, and BIBLE ART: NOAH for what happened when Noah invented wine....
WHERE	The Hebrew people learnt about irrigation and cultivation from farms in ancient Sumeria , and from Egyptians in the Nile valley.
WHEN	The Hebrews were farmers (Cain), and nomadic herders (Abel), but became predominantly farmers after settlement in Canaan. For the conflict between these two groups of people, see BIBLE TOP TEN: MURDERS and the story of Cain and Abel.
BIBLE LINKS	Genesis 4:2, Genesis 9:20 (Noah), 2 Chronicles 26:10, Isaiah 28:24, Amos 7:14, Luke 8:5, 9:12, 15:25, James 5:7
See end of page for information on farming in ancient times INTERESTING WEBSITES		SCROLL DOWN FOR IMAGES
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	IRRIGATION
	The Euphrates River, which formed the backdrop for some of the earliest stories in the Bible	Aerial shot showing traces of an ancient irrigation system in Iran

	Drawing water with a shakeyeh, from a photograph taken in 1894. For the day to day tasks of people in the Bible, see BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: WORK	Water was a constant preoccupation with ancient peoples, since they depended on rain for their crops. The Gilgamesh account of the Flood, recorded on this clay tablet, shows their fear of the unpredictable nature of rainfall too much water could be just as dangerous as too little.
		The Gezer Calendar is a limestone tablet about 4inches (10cm) tall. It dates from the time of Solomon, in the mid-10th century BC. It describes the agricultural cycle month by month, giving the tasks that ought to be performed at any one time of the year. August and September are times of harvest, October and November for new planting. February is devoted to cultivation of flax, and March to the barley harvest, etc.
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	PLOUGHING
	Wall painting from an official's tomb in Thebes, showing the use of a plough to prepare the land for sowing	Two animals draw a plough as the ploughman encourages them with a whip. Behind him another man holds the satchel containing seed
	Ploughing in the Plain of Jezreel, from a photograph taken in 1925. Because of the good farming land at Jezreel, the area was much fought over. Jezebel took some of this land from Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-16) , and she and her family were eventually murdered at Jezreel. See BIBLE PEOPLE: JEZEBEL for her story.
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	REAPING
	Man with sickle, harvesting grain Wall painting from Thebes tomb	Modern-day women harvesting with sickles

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	THRESHING
	A threshing floor For the most famous Bible story involving a threshing floor, see the love story of Ruth at BIBLE PEOPLE: RUTH	A threshing sledge
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	WINNOWING
	Theban tomb painting showing grain being winnowed	A modern-day photograph of the process shown opposite

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	WINE AND OIL PRODUCTION
	This Theban wall painting shows that grape-vines were trained over a trellis, then crushed in a vat. The Bible credits Noah with the invention of wine. See BIBLE ART: NOAH for what happened then....	A reconstruction of an olive press with heavy stone weights to crush the oil out of the olives
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	SOWING Sowing took place after the first rains had softened the ground. If the farmer tried to plough before the rain, the plough-blade could not dig into the ground. "I shall give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. Take heed lest the anger of Yahweh be kindled against you, and He shut up the heavens, so that there be no rain.... (Deuteronomy 11:13-17) THE PLOUGH The design of the plough developed from the hoe - the latter was used by humans, but a plough could be pulled by animals. Except for the plough-point, it was made of wood. The early plough-points were made of bronze, but after the 12th century BC, iron plough-points started to replace the bronze plough-points. The plough had either one or two handles, so that pressure could be applied to the downward push of the plough-blade. The plough was pulled by a team of oxen or a single beast. SOWING There were two methods of sowing seed: by broadcasting the seeds by hand, or using a seed-drill. For the first method, the farmer walked along the furrows at a constant pace pulling handfuls of seed from a bag at his side and throwing them over the soil. Several people might be involved for the second method: one to direct the plough and push the handle down into the soil, one to direct the animals, and a third person to hold the seed bag on his shoulder and drop the seeds into the funnel which pointed down to the soil. These seeds would fall behind the plough-point, so that they were covered by the falling soil. REAPING Harvesting the crops involved cutting the crops, tying the stalks into sheaves, and transporting the harvested crops to the threshing area. Reaping was done with a sickle held in one hand while a bunch of stalks was seized with the other. The reapers were led by a foreman, and behind them came other people who were taking part in the harvest - the young men and women.	There were others who were not directly involved with the harvest - the poor, who were allowed by religious law to glean. Religious law also specified that a corner of the field had to be left for the poor - this part of the field could not be harvested by the landowner (Leviticus 19:9, 23:22). The workers were given food - bread dipped in vinegar and parched grain. THRESHING The separation of the grain from the stalks was done on the hard, flat rock of the threshing floor. This was usually located outside the city or town, in a spot where the prevailing westerly wind could help with the winnowing. The threshing floor was a wide, open space that was sometimes also used for public functions. After winnowing was completed, the farmer was left with several products. The first, of course, was the grain itself. But there was also coarse thick straw suitable for kindling, or as binding in brick making. There was also a finer sort of straw that was the main component of animal fodder. The fine residue of dust/powder left on the threshing floor was used as packing around the grain-filled storage jars. OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION A press was used to crush the oil from the olives after they had been harvested. This press had a beam inserted wither into a niche in a wall or into a large stone. Weights were tied to the other end of the beam. The olive baskets were placed under the beam, inside a collection basin. In later times, during the Roman occupation of Palestine, large stone wheels were used to press oil.
	______________________________________________________________________________________ INTERESTING SITES - stories, pictures, information The strong connection between agriculture and religion in ancient Israel BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: ANCIENT RELIGIONS Day-to-day tasks performed by ordinary people BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: WORK Floor-plans, models and reconstructions of houses and villages in ancient Israel BIBLE ARCHITECTURE: HOUSING Paintings of Noah, described in the Bible as the first farmer, and the inventor of wine BIBLE ART: NOAH Farmers in the ancient world dreaded diseased livestock and crops - see photographs BIBLE TOP TEN: PLAGUES A short version of the story of Noah BIBLE PEOPLE: NOAH The conflict between nomadic herdsmen and farmers over land rights captured in the story of two brothers BIBLE TOP TEN: MURDERS
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	___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Agriculture in the Old and New Testament - Archaeology of The Bible Farming Techniques in Bible Times; Bible Study Resource