Water-Mills in Northwest Semitic, Rabbinica and Archaeology : Levantine and Babylonian Evidence
(2023) In Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 37(2). p.299-338- Abstract
- This article aims at assembling the available facts concerning the exploitation of water-power in ancient and Early Mediaeval Palestine (and partly Jewish Babylonia)—those to be found in written (that is, Rabbinic) sources as well as those deriving from archaeological finds. Both groups of materials are scant, and the conclusions remain tentative. But it can be stated almost with certainty that water-milling in the area goes back at least to the 2nd century CE and that both vertical and horizontal water-wheels were utilized. The most astonishing fact is the use of a more or less unique mill-type, with two pairs of “pseudo-Pompeian” millstones powered by a single, vertical wheel. In addition to this general survey and analysis of the... (More)
- This article aims at assembling the available facts concerning the exploitation of water-power in ancient and Early Mediaeval Palestine (and partly Jewish Babylonia)—those to be found in written (that is, Rabbinic) sources as well as those deriving from archaeological finds. Both groups of materials are scant, and the conclusions remain tentative. But it can be stated almost with certainty that water-milling in the area goes back at least to the 2nd century CE and that both vertical and horizontal water-wheels were utilized. The most astonishing fact is the use of a more or less unique mill-type, with two pairs of “pseudo-Pompeian” millstones powered by a single, vertical wheel. In addition to this general survey and analysis of the material from a technical standpoint, we will discuss certain literary and exegetical roles of the milling motif—and water-milling specifically—in the relevant ancient literature, and explore how the motifs of water and milling tie together in the written sources, i.e., how they are used as a persistent literary motif in Northwest Semitic literature. In this context, the recurring literary motif of “the milling woman” is highlighted. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/bf09ff02-829c-45c9-8437-f8bd94db6683
- author
- Wikander, Ola LU and Wikander, Örjan LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- arubah penstock, ʿEin Gedi, Naḥal Tannīnīm, water-mill, Talmud, Mishna, poetic motifs, milling
- in
- Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament
- volume
- 37
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 40 pages
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85174851284
- ISSN
- 0901-8328
- DOI
- 10.1080/09018328.2023.2267888
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- bf09ff02-829c-45c9-8437-f8bd94db6683
- date added to LUP
- 2023-01-31 14:49:47
- date last changed
- 2023-12-13 15:15:22
@article{bf09ff02-829c-45c9-8437-f8bd94db6683,
abstract = {{This article aims at assembling the available facts concerning the exploitation of water-power in ancient and Early Mediaeval Palestine (and partly Jewish Babylonia)—those to be found in written (that is, Rabbinic) sources as well as those deriving from archaeological finds. Both groups of materials are scant, and the conclusions remain tentative. But it can be stated almost with certainty that water-milling in the area goes back at least to the 2nd century CE and that both vertical and horizontal water-wheels were utilized. The most astonishing fact is the use of a more or less unique mill-type, with two pairs of “pseudo-Pompeian” millstones powered by a single, vertical wheel. In addition to this general survey and analysis of the material from a technical standpoint, we will discuss certain literary and exegetical roles of the milling motif—and water-milling specifically—in the relevant ancient literature, and explore how the motifs of water and milling tie together in the written sources, i.e., how they are used as a persistent literary motif in Northwest Semitic literature. In this context, the recurring literary motif of “the milling woman” is highlighted.}},
author = {{Wikander, Ola and Wikander, Örjan}},
issn = {{0901-8328}},
keywords = {{arubah penstock; ʿEin Gedi; Naḥal Tannīnīm; water-mill; Talmud; Mishna; poetic motifs; milling}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{299--338}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament}},
title = {{Water-Mills in Northwest Semitic, Rabbinica and Archaeology : Levantine and Babylonian Evidence}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09018328.2023.2267888}},
doi = {{10.1080/09018328.2023.2267888}},
volume = {{37}},
year = {{2023}},
}