The Economics of the Jewish Diaspora: Perspectives from Al Yahudu
Abstract
The publication of the 215 tablets from the Al Yahudu archive over two volumes (Wunsch and Pearce 2014, Wunsch 2022) provide an unprecedented resource for reconstructing the economics of the Jewish diaspora. The archive documents economic exchanges, litigation, rental income, promissory notes, receipts, leases of land or bovines, and sales of animals. This study presents a preliminary analysis of the archive with the aim to understand the economics mechanisms and institutions for everyday Judeans and situate this understanding in the context of what is known about Persian administrative systems.
Citation
Nam, Roger. “The Economics of the Jewish Diaspora: Perspectives from Al Yahudu," The Bible in Its Ancient Iranian Context (March 14, 2025).
About the Speaker
Roger Nam
Emory University
Roger S. Nam is double alumnus of UCLA (BA, Economics, and PhD, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures). He is presently Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University. A financial analyst before turning his attention to biblical studies, Nam focuses his research on the economies of the ancient Near East and the Book of Ezra-Nehemiah, applying traditional historical-critical methods within social-scientific frameworks.