Shepherds and nomads lived in the Roman-Byzantine period on the fringes of settlement in the Land of Israel - in the deserts of the Negev, in Judea and Samaria and in the Basaltic Golan, leaving behind silent and written testimonies. In this book, a first attempt is made to systematically compile the unique data, which are hidden in the maps of the archaeological surveys and excavation reports, and which can teach about the settlement of shepherds and nomads - with different historical sources. These include Talmudic sources, sources dealing with Roman agriculture, monastic and pilgrim sources as well as evidence from traditional Arab and Bedouin culture in the last two centuries.

Many issues related to the economic and settlement aspects of shepherds and nomads are discussed in the book. Among them: environment and landscape as sources of livelihood for the nomadic human population and sheep, The material culture and the nomadic animal world, The socio-organizational structure of the nomadic population and the relations between the nomadic tribes among themselves and among themselves and their neighbors and local and central government, The influence of the nomadic reality of the nomad shepherd on his worship, belief and moral conduct.

Dr. Kobi (Yaakov) Ben Ari (Federov) holds a PhD in Land of Israel Studies and Archeology from Bar-Ilan University. Autodidact, guide and man of knowledge of the land and its landscapes, and researcher of the Land of Israel from its multidisciplinary aspects in antiquity.