Histoire des prix et des salaires dans l'Orient médiéval

Histoire des prix et des salaires dans l'Orient médiéval is a scholarly work published in 1969 by economic historian Eliyahu Ashtor. The book presents a systematic analysis of prices and wages in medieval Middle Eastern societies from the 9th to 15th centuries. The study draws from primary sources including Arabic manuscripts, market regulations, and financial records from Cairo, Damascus, and other major trading centers. Ashtor compiles data on commodities, food prices, artisan wages, and living standards across different social classes and time periods. The research examines economic trends through periods of political change, including the Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties. Tables and charts throughout the text organize the numerical data for comparison across regions and eras. This work remains a foundational text for understanding the economic structures and daily material conditions of medieval Islamic societies. The quantitative approach helps reveal broader patterns about prosperity, inequality, and the effects of political systems on ordinary people's lives.

This specialized academic text has very limited online reviews or ratings available. Based on citations in other scholarly works, readers value Ashtor's compilation of price data from medieval Middle Eastern sources and his analysis of economic trends in the region from 1200-1500 CE. Likes: - Detailed price tables and raw economic data - Coverage of underexamined historical period - Translation of Arabic, Hebrew and other primary sources Dislikes: - Dense academic writing style - Limited scope focuses mainly on Egypt and Syria - Some methodological questions about data interpretation The book does not appear to have ratings/reviews on Goodreads, Amazon or other major consumer review sites, likely due to its narrow academic focus. Most discussion appears in scholarly book reviews and citations rather than consumer reviews. [Note: With very limited consumer review data available for this specialized academic text, this summary relies primarily on references to the work in other scholarly publications.]

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Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages by Christopher Dyer The text details economic conditions and material life in medieval England through examination of wages, prices, and consumption patterns.

Before European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250-1350 by Janet Abu-Lughod This work analyzes trade networks and economic relationships between medieval Europe, Middle East, and Asia through examination of prices, commerce, and market systems.

The Great Wave: Price Revolutions and the Rhythm of History by David Hackett Fischer The book traces price fluctuations and economic changes from medieval to modern times through statistical analysis and historical documentation.

🔷 Author Eliyahu Ashtor was a pioneering economic historian who escaped Nazi Germany in 1933 and later became a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 🔷 The book provides one of the first comprehensive studies of medieval price history in the Middle East, drawing from sources in Arabic, Hebrew, and European languages. 🔷 Through meticulous analysis of market records and historical documents, Ashtor challenged the prevailing notion that Islamic economies were stagnant, showing evidence of dynamic price fluctuations and economic cycles. 🔷 The research reveals that some everyday items in medieval Cairo and Damascus cost relatively the same as they did in European cities of the same period, contrary to previous assumptions about vast economic differences. 🔷 Many of the medieval Middle Eastern price records studied in the book came from documents found in the Cairo Geniza, a collection of Jewish manuscripts discovered in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo.