La ruralizzazione del Negev nella tarda antichità

Many scholars believe that the area of Late Roman Palestine experienced a period of economic and demographic growth, espe- cially between the 4th and the 6th/7th centuries, after a long period of crisis. However, some archaeological data shows that economic and social development began shortly after the two Jewish wars that devastated most of the country on both sides of the Jordan River. This eco- nomic boom would continue during the 3rd century, despite the economic and political crisis of the Roman empire, when Palestine would endure a time of wealth and expansion. The rising number of settlements, villages and towns built throughout this period would be evidence of this growth. However, archaeological and historical data might be contradictory because certain areas suffered a drop in the number of settlements and population. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evidence in order to better understand the reasons of the phenomena of demographic increase in Palestine, with an emphasis on the area of Negev and the occupa- tion of semi-arid lands. Indeed, the occupation of peripheral territories peaked between the 4th and 6th century, but it must have originated centuries before.