Map courtesy of Focus on the Family and followtherabbi.com   The evolution and development of the Israelite culture began during the beginning of the iron age, in the Cisjordan Mountains just west of the Jordan River (51). The Israelites had been forced out of the fertile crescent (coastal plain on the map) by the Canaanites from the north and the Egyptians from the south.  As a result, they were forced to develop their own culture in the unforgiving mountains and wilderness of modern day Palestine.  The mountains where the Israelites finally settled were heavily wooded with steep hill sides unsuitable for farming.  To make matters worse, rainfall was very unpredictable in this region and so water was difficult to obtain.       The rough terrain, however, did not stop the Israelites.  Archeological excavations done in areas where the ancient people were believed to have lived show that the Israelites were very creative in developing ways to survive in the wilderness.  They are credited as being the first people to develop the cistern (54).  These large holes in the ground were lined with stone and collected the runoff rain water from the mountains.  Not only did they invent a way to catch and store water, they also developed a terracing system in which they cut large "shelves" out of the mountain side to make them suitable for growing crops.  The main crops produced by the Ancient Israelites were mostly cereal crops such as grains as well as wine and oil (58).      As nicely as they adapted to their surroundings, life was still very difficult.  The seasonal rains were very important and the growing season in the mountains was very short.  The grains that were grown had to be harvested before the fall rains so that they would not rot.  The Israelites also kept animals such as sheep which were used for food and other goods. Division of Labor According to sociologists there are three main things that must be done for a civilization such as Ancient Israel to survive (56).         1.  Reproduction         2.  Defense of the Culture         3.  Production of Sustenance Goods     Of course no one group in society can accomplish all of these things, and so for basic survival men, and women were divided into labor groups doing what they did best.  Obviously, women were the only ones capable of having children and thus the importance of bearing the next generation fell on them.  The men were charged with the defense of the new society, protecting it from wild animals as well as from Canaanites and Palestinians.  Finally, the labor required to keep this civilization alive in such a hostile environment mandated that men, women and children contribute to the daily work in the fields.   Throughout the history of Ancient Israel, women worked alongside the men often carrying their children on their backs.  They were not limited to household chores but had to work alongside their husbands so that everyone could eat.      The idea that women would only work in the home is a modern idea (62).  The women in ancient Israel would work in the house and take care of children, but for the family to survive their labor was also required in the field.  Myers mentioned a study done by Sanday, in which men and women split the work 60/40, respectively (169).  The amount of labor needed for processing food and cooking would take up most of the women's time.  However, just because the women worked mostly in the home to provide food did not mean that it was an insignificant job.  Actually, it was a very important job.  Without the women, the raw materials brought in by the men could not be processed into an edible form.  The women also had to develop new ways to cook since the easiest cooking (the cooking of meat) was left to the men.  This job was also very important because it meant that women were in charge of rationing the food that the family had.  If the woman could not ration the food appropriately, then the family would starve come winter.  It would seem that the role of women in this society was just as important, if not more so than their male counterparts. Social Structure      People in this time usually lived in small homes consisting of what we would call a nuclear family that was connected by a courtyard to the houses of parents, siblings, cousin, aunts and uncles (129-134).  The most important social structure was the extended family.  Archeologists have found no public buildings in the sites from Ancient Israel.  At this time Israel had no central government and as a result, the largest and most important social structure was the family. Women's Work    Most of the women in Israel did indeed spend much of their time in the house, processing the raw food materials that the men brought in from the fields.  They were also responsible for all the cooking and serving of the food (146).  As mundane as this sounds to our modern ears this was actually a very important job.  Without the women to cook and prepare the food, the family would not eat. It also put the woman in a place of power because she had to be intelligent enough to know how to ration out the food so that it would last until the next harvest (147).     Since men were out working in the fields most days or fulfilling their military duty, the raising of children fell to the women.  The women were responsible for the daily care and upbringing of the child.  However, in this culture the father also had obligations to the children, teaching them the activities that would ensure the survival of the next generation (149). Men's Work    Most of the work assigned to men was the heavy labor of making terraces and clearing trees, harvesting the crops, and making the tools necessary for the home.  His only duty away from the home was his military duty (147).  He also had an obligation to the education of his children and even participated in the cooking of meat (146). *images on this page are courtesy of bibleplaces.com unless otherwise noted.

Sexuality, Gender Roles & The Bible	Ancient Israel in Context	Translations & Reinterpretations
The Bible, Sexuality & Some New Ideas	Implications & Conclusions	Works Consulted