Inland culture versus coastal culture in Roman Palestine - A perspective of Jewish Society

This study analyses accounts of cultural divergence between inland versus coastal dwellers in Roman Palestine, 70-300 CE, examining the geographical environment's influence on human society. Josephus pointed out cultural differences between Jewish and gentile societies, resulting from the difference between the areas in which they lived. His geographical description is based on objective facts whilst the environmental influences on culture or character are stereotypes. There is a similar analysis of the above diverse cultures in Greco-Roman Literature. Rabbinic literature of that era also relates to the discrepancy between inland and coastal-dwellers uniquely applying the geographic facts to religious legal concepts. The approach of the sages to the seacoast changed as they relocated closer to the sea in the beginning of the second century. Our analyses should contribute to research of common cultural phenomena in societies of the Mediterranean Sea basin.