השימוש באלות בארץ ישראל בעת העתיקה: פירות, שמן ושרף

This article undertakes a comprehensive study of the place of the terebinth (Pistacia palaestina) and the Pistacia atlantica (P. terebinthus) in both the cultivated and uncultivated landscapes of ancient Israel. Presenting detailed accounts of historical sources (primarily rabbinical and classical literature), along with archaeobotanical and paleographic archaeological sources, the study focuses on describing how the terebinth’s fruit has been used to provide food and oil and resin even until today. The main contribution of the article is in describing the practical process of producing oil and resin from the pistacia trees. The evidence shows that in the past, the resin, made mainly from the Pistacia atlantica, was used for medical purposes, and, especially, as an ingredient in incense. This resin was in high demand in the ancient world and became an export product of the Land of Israel. For the purposes of the study, resin was produced in Israel from some eighty trees at four different sites. Production was carried out based on two models: resin production from the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) as practiced on Chios Island in Greece; and the method of resin production from the Pistacia atlantica in Iraqi Kurdistan, which is still sold throughout the Arab world. The large quantities of resin obtained confirm that this resin production was indeed an industry with economic potential and profitability in ancient Israel.