Work

Bees in the Medieval Maghreb: Wax, Honey and Cross-Cultural Trade in the Western Mediterranean

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: 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.

Source: Medieval Encounters

DOI: 10.1163/15700674-12340115

Author: Alexandra Sapoznik

Institution: King's College London

Language: English

Topic: Medieval History and Crusades

Subfield: History

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Leverhulme Trust, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

OpenAlex ID: W4200501629