Trade and Institutions in the Medieval Mediterranean: The Geniza Merchants and their Business World

444 Pages·2012·7.573 MB·English

by  Jessica L. Goldberg

Trade and Institutions in the
Medieval Mediterranean
TheGenizamerchantsoftheeleventh-centuryMediterranean–some-
timescalledthe“Maghribitraders”–arecentraltocontroversiesabout
theoriginsoflong-termeconomicgrowthandtheinstitutionalbasesof
trade.Inthisbook,JessicaGoldbergreconstructsthebusinessworldof
theGenizamerchants,mapstheshiftinggeographicrelationshipsofthe
medieval Islamic economy, and sheds new light on debates about the
institutional framework for later European dominance. Commercial
letters, business accounts, and courtroom testimony bring to life how
these medieval traders used personal gossip and legal mechanisms to
managefar-flungagents,switchedbusinessstrategiestomanagepolit-
ical risks, and asserted different parts of their fluid identities to gain
advantage in the multicultural medieval trading world. This book
paintsavividpictureoftheeverydaylifeofJewishmerchantsinIslamic
societiesand addsnewdepth todebatesaboutmedievaltrading insti-
tutionswithuniquequantitativeanalysesandinnovativeapproaches.
jessica l. goldberg is Assistant Professor of Medieval History at
the Universityof Pennsylvania. She studiesthe medievalhistoryofthe
Mediterraneanbasin,ChristianEurope,andtheIslamicworld,special-
izingineconomicandlegalinstitutionsandculture.
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Trade and Institutions in the
Medieval Mediterranean
The Geniza Merchants and their Business World
Jessica L. Goldberg
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Goldberg,JessicaL.,1969–
TradeandinstitutionsinthemedievalMediterranean:TheGeniza
merchantsandtheirbusinessworld/JessicaL.Goldberg.
p. cm.– (Cambridgestudiesineconomichistory)
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978-1-107-00547-1(Hardback)
1. MediterraneanRegion–Commerce–History. 2. Jewishmerchants–
MediterraneanRegion–History–To1500. 3. Commerce–History–Medieval,
500–1500. I. Title.
HF3750.7.G652012
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Contents
List of figures pageviii
List of maps ix
List of tables x
Acknowledgments xi
Technical notes xv
List ofabbreviations xxi
1 Introduction: twotales 1
1.1. Amedievalstory:thebaleonthebeach 1
1.2. Amodernstory:threescholarsandapieceofpaper 5
1.3. Theproblemofthesources 8
1.4. Medievalandmodernstories:ascholarlyconversation 11
PartI Institutions 31
2 Merchants in their community 33
2.1. Writingthelivesofmerchants:Nahrayb.Niss¯ım 33
2.2. Merchantsasagroup:identificationandself-definition 38
2.3. Thegeographyofsettlement:homes,origins,andmigrations 39
2.4. ClassandsocialpositioninJewishcommunity 45
2.5. PositionintheIslamiccommunity 50
3 The uses of commercial correspondence 56
3.1. Nahrayb.Niss¯ımreceivesaletter 56
3.2. Theshapeofcommercialcorrespondence 64
3.3. Contentanalysis 77
3.4. Conclusion:theplaceoflettersincommerceandinresearch 91
4 The nature of merchants’trade 93
4.1. Thebundleandtheskins 93
4.2. Themixofcommodities 95
4.3. Commercialtransactionsandtheworkofmerchants 99
4.4. Conclusion:economicorganization,risk,andlabor 115
v
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vi Contents
5 The humanlandscape: business relationships,institutions
of lawandgovernment 120
5.1. Yeshu¯‘a¯b.Isma‘¯ıl:thedifficultman 120
5.2. Theorganizationofcommercialservices:principals,agents,
andthegroup 123
5.3. Choosingagency:aquestionofmanagement 144
5.4. Businessandthelegalsystem:theoryandpractice 150
5.5. Thestateandthemerchants 164
5.6. Conclusion 177
6 Conclusion to part I 180
Part II Geographies 185
7 The geographyof information 187
7.1. Efrayimsendsfourcopies,thenfivecopies 187
7.2. Thepostalinfrastructureandthemovementofletters 189
7.3. Letters,information,andtheboundariesoftrade 193
7.4. Thegeographyofinformation:connectivityandchange
intheeleventhcentury 199
7.5. Theboundariesofinformation:usingletterstoretracegeography 206
7.6. Conclusions 209
8 Commodities in aregional market 211
8.1. Israel’seyemedicine 211
8.2. Thenatureofregionsinal-Sha¯m:centralmarkets,emporia,
andhinterlands 213
8.3. Whatitmeanttobeahinterland:Fustatasadistributor
andconsumerofgoods 229
8.4. Conclusion:regionsandmarkethierarchies,citiesandmetropolises 240
9 Individual geographiesof trade 247
9.1. Alifeintravel:Abu¯ ‘Imra¯nMu¯sa¯b.Ab¯ı’l-HayyKhal¯ıla 247
˙
9.2. Connectivity:routesandcentralplaces 253
9.3. Individualitineraries 261
9.4. AGenizabusinessmodel 276
9.5. Conclusions 288
10 The contracting geographyof the eleventh-century
merchant network 296
10.1. Sala¯mab.Mu¯sa¯’sdisastrousyear 296
10.2. Twomaps:comparingtheNahraygenerationwithother
generationsofGenizamerchants 300
10.3. Edges 305
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Contents vii
10.4. Centers:intensification 319
10.5. Puttingtogetherthepieces:explainingnetworkcontraction
andintensification 322
10.6. Conclusions 330
11 Conclusion: The Mediterranean through the eyes
of Genizamerchants 337
11.1. PuttingtheIslamicworldbackintotheMediterraneaneconomy 337
11.2. Institutions,merchants,andthemedievalMediterranean 350
Glossaryof terms 362
Bibliography 366
Manuscript sources 366
Printed sources 396
Index 416
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Figures
Figures 3.1 and 3.2: A letter from ‘Ayya¯sh b.Sadaqa,
˙
in Fustat,to Nahrayb.Niss¯ım,in the village
of Bu¯s¯ır.Cambridge University Library,
˙
TS 13 J13.11 (r and v) page 58
Figure 3.3: Translation of TS 13 J13.11 r 60
Figure 3.4: Translation of TS 13 J13.11 v 61
Figure 3.5: Contentof exposition 78
Figure 3.6: Behavior material by person 79
Figure 3.7: Behaviorby subject 81
Figure 4.1: Proportional division of transactioncontent 100
Figure 7.1: Destinations of eleventh-centurymercantile letters 200
Figure 7.2: Origin of eleventh-centuryletters by small region 202
Figure 7.3: Origin of eleventh-centuryletters by large region 203
Figure 7.4: Connections throughcorrespondence 204
Figure 7.5: Connections in the twogenerations 205
viii
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Maps
Map 1.1: The commercial Mediterranean in the eleventh
century page xvii
Map 1.2: Egyptand al-Sha¯m xviii
Map 7.1: Commercial and private postal service 194
Map 8.1: Itineraries in al-Sha¯m 219
Map 9.1: Mu¯sa¯ b.Ab¯ı ’l-Hayy: lifetimetravels 247
˙
Map 9.2: Mu¯sa¯:early career 247
Map 9.3: Mu¯sa¯:middlecareer 248
Map 9.4: Mu¯sa¯:late career 248
Map 9.5: Mediterranean trunk routes 255
Map 9.6: Fustat andregional routes 258
Map 9.7: Isma‘¯ıl b.Barhu¯nal-Ta¯hirt¯ı 263
Map 9.8: Sa¯lih b.Barhu¯n al-Ta¯hirt¯ı 264
˙ ˙
Map 9.9: Barhu¯n b. Mu¯sa¯ al-Ta¯hirt¯ı 265
Map 9.10: Nahrayb.Niss¯ım 266
Map 9.11: Mu¯sa¯ b.Ya‘qu¯bal-Misr¯ı 268
˙
Map 9.12: Niss¯ımb.Khalafu¯n 270
Map 9.13: Sala¯ma b.Mu¯sa¯ al-Safa¯qis¯ı 271
˙
Map 9.14: Yu¯suf b.‘Al¯ı al-Kohen al-Fa¯s¯ı 272
Map 9.15: Sala¯ma b.Niss¯ım al-Barq¯ı 273
Map 9.16: Farah b.Isma‘¯ılal-Qa¯bis¯ı 274
˙
Map 10.1: The earlyeleventhcentury: travelsin the
Ibn ‘Awkal group 301
Map 10.2: The latereleventhcentury:travelsin the
Nahraygroup 302
ix
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Tables
7.1: Destinations of eleventh-centurymercantile letters page 201
7.2: Origins of eleventh-centurymercantile letters 202
x
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