An economic history of the Jews of Byzantium from the eve of the Arab conquest to the Fourth Crusade

Despite amounting to a mere one percent of the population of the Byzantine Empire, the Jews there left a lasting mark on the economic development of the region, particularly in the sector of textile trade and production. At the same time, the Jews engaged in an entire set of professional activities and financial investments that reflected a self-contained, uniquely Jewish economy. Central to the development of both of these economic spheres, the demographics of the Jews accounted for those patterns of movement and communication that resulted in highly sophisticated and internationalized business and cultural relationships.; In the period between the seventh and tenth centuries, the Byzantine Empire contracted, both territorially and economically. The Muslim conquest resulted in an enormous diminution of the Byzantine population, including a many Jewish communities. Occasional persecutions pushed more Jews to emigrate. By the end of the tenth century, however, the balance of power had tipped in favor of Byzantium, and the empire enticed many Jews to immigrate from Arab lands. Throughout these vicissitudes, the Byzantine Jews maintained a network of contacts, bearing economic fruit. The internal Jewish economy, though parochial vis-à-vis Byzantine society, in fact extended far and wide, following the established lines of communication with Jews—Byzantine and otherwise—throughout the Mediterranean region. Byzantine Jewry funded scholars and academies at home and abroad, and these constituted the backbone of Jewish self-determination. Jews also engaged in a series of professional pursuits unique to their community.; As participants in the Byzantine economy at large, the Jews proved to be a force in the textile and tanning industries, taking advantage of ancient expertise in these businesses and using their international ties to access markets. Seemingly disenfranchised and excluded from the Constantinopolitan guilds, the Jews actually benefited from the lack of direct governmental control.; Rooted in the exchange and allotment of resources, Byzantine Jewish economic history addresses major points of contact between the minority Jews and the Greek Christian society in which they lived. Its study therefore helps to place the Byzantine Jews in the context of Byzantine society and the larger Jewish world in the eastern Mediterranean.