In books like Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel and William H. McNeill's Plagues and Peoples I have seen mentioned that, until relatively recently in history, cities were demographic sinks ravaged by disease which required a steady stream of newcomers from the countryside to be able to sustain their population level.
How, then, did predominantly urban minorities, like medieval Jews, manage to sustain their numbers?
How, then, did predominantly urban minorities, like medieval Jews, manage to sustain their numbers?
2 comments:
I think there are several reasons. You already mentioned that newcomers from the countryside were more vulnerable to disease, which is a definite factor. (Remember, it's just an *average*. We all know the pitfalls of relying too blindly on those.)
But for Jews in particular, I'd argue the crucial factors are that they had a strong culture of having lots of kids, and that they had very solid economic niches. So unlike these random bumpkins who come in with no idea what to do, who are probably going to die of disease, and are definitely going to have problems, these Jews are well-nurtured, used to the city and its perils, and have clear career paths. At the very least, they are less likely going to starve than your average city-dweller. Which is not something you can say of the newcomers.
Sounds plausible!
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