65 RURAL GALILEE AND RAPID CHANGES Galilee of all places provided the most stabile climate in Palestine supporting a large population on its fertile soil 73. In a fuller investigation, I concluded that Galilee indeed benefited from a more stable climate than any other region in Palestine with an average annual precipitation of approximately 600 mm, well above the 250 mm point marking the “aridity line”, though famines and crop failures were part of life in this region as witnessed in the OT, Josephus and in the NT 74. However, no indication of famine during the reign of Herod Antipas is found, and while this by no means excludes the possibility of such famines, there is no solid basis in the actual reports or in the general knowledge of the Galilean climate to support a bleak picture of the agricultural environments and possibilities in Galilee. * * * As a point of departure for my final conclusion, an important caution must be stated, namely that when evaluating these gauges presented, a certain personal preference is embedded in each of them, tilting the final judgment to one side of the plausible spectrum. In other words, there is quite a bit of “grey area” between the “most optimistic” and the “most pessimistic” interpretations of the data, and all of this grey area falls within the plausible range of interpretation. That being said, the overall synthesis of the material presented points in the direction of a first-century Galilee marked by stability ― if not moderate growth ― rather than rapid change and/or decline. This conclusion is based upon the following observations: (a) With respect to political history, it is noteworthy that while some changes were experienced up until the Herodian takeover, the following era ― especially under Herod Antipas ― was re- portedly calm. Even Antipas’ building programs were modest in comparison with what is known elsewhere from the same period. (b) The many surface surveys reveal a consistent pattern of in- crease with regard to both the number of settlements and the size of the inhabited territory. Less attractive and defensible plots of land were cultivated. 73 Cf. e. g. GOODMAN, State, 22, 83; FREYNE, Galilee, 16; M. AVI-YONAH, The Holy Land. From the Persian to the Arab Conquests (536 B.C. To A.D. 640). A Historical Geography (Grand Rapids, MI 1966) 203. 74 Cf. JENSEN, “Droughts and Famines”.