TY - JOUR
T1 - Bees in the medieval Maghreb
T2 - Wax, honey and cross-cultural trade in the Western Mediterranean
AU - Sapoznik, Alex
PY - 2021/12/22
Y1 - 2021/12/22
N2 - Believed to originate in Paradise and set apart in their chastity, bees were potent religious symbols in medieval Christianity and Islam. This article explores how these beliefs drove an extensive trade in wax and honey, and examines the role of Jews, conversos, Christians, and Muslims in this trade. Further, it considers the environmental context and the extent to which religious prohibitions against trade between Christians and Muslims may have provided economic opportunities for Jewish merchants, while examining the economic and cultural relationships between members of the three Abrahamic religions.
AB - Believed to originate in Paradise and set apart in their chastity, bees were potent religious symbols in medieval Christianity and Islam. This article explores how these beliefs drove an extensive trade in wax and honey, and examines the role of Jews, conversos, Christians, and Muslims in this trade. Further, it considers the environmental context and the extent to which religious prohibitions against trade between Christians and Muslims may have provided economic opportunities for Jewish merchants, while examining the economic and cultural relationships between members of the three Abrahamic religions.
U2 - 10.1163/15700674-12340115
DO - 10.1163/15700674-12340115
M3 - Article
SN - 1380-7854
VL - 27
SP - 434
EP - 455
JO - Medieval Encounters
JF - Medieval Encounters
IS - 4-5
ER -