Were the ancient Israelites a merchant society like the Phoenicians

>live in the levant
>dont trade

goat herders

>>3008431
They're at the crossroads of major land masses. Of course they traded.

>>3008431
It was an idiot tribal herder society. I'm tempted to call them a warrior culture but they got pretty much buttfucked in every single war.

Who said Greece was not a merchant society? They constituted most of the traders along the northern coast of the Mediterranean.

They were originally a nomadic society. The story of Abraham and Lot indicates an opposition to the settled life. Their law and science also indicates nomadic lifestyle like Arabs. Really the Afro-Asiatic spread can be attributed to pastoralist cultures.

>>3008452
not much has changed then

>>3008467
>The story of Abraham and Lot indicates an opposition to the settled life.
Go even deeper - Cain and Abel. Abel is the goat herder and presented as the good guy, Cain is the settled farmer and presented as the bad guy. It's clear they were nomadic and loathed settled, civilizaed people.

>>3008467
>originally

>>3008480
They also have food taboos particularly with fish or certain kinds of seafood just like other pastoral peoples all over the African continent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_and_drink_prohibitions#Fish

>>3008486
Well after they settled they did start to delve into more settled habits like commerce and science.

>>3008431
>martial one like the Greeks

Err... what?

Besides... Greeks were merchants too

>>3008496
>Among the Somali people, most clans have a taboo against the consumption of fish

But they're fishermen?

>>3008480
The Jews truly haven't changed at all.

They were a group of despicable vermins who were exiled from place to place

>>3009534
Tell us how you really feel

>>3008431
>implying Greeks weren't also a merchant society