Description
Book SynopsisArchaeological exploration in the Central Highlands of the Southern Levant conducted during the 1970s and 1980s dramatically transformed the scholarly understanding of the early Iron Age and led to the publication of From Nomadism to Monarchy: Archaeological and Historical Aspects of Early Israel, by Israel Finkelstein and Nadav Na’aman. This volume explores and reassesses the legacy of that foundational text.
Using current theoretical frameworks and taking into account new excavation data and methodologies from the natural sciences, the seventeen essays in this volume examine the archaeology of the Southern Levant during the early Iron Age and the ways in which the period may be reflected in biblical accounts. The variety of methodologies employed and the historical narratives presented within these contributions illuminate the multifaceted nature of contemporary research on this formative period.
Building upon Finkelstein and Na’aman’s seminal study, this work provides an essential update. It will be welcomed by ancient historians, scholars of early Israel and the early Iron Age Southern Levant, and biblical scholars. In addition to the editors, the contributors to this volume are Eran Arie, Erez Ben-Yosef, Cynthia Edenburg, Israel Finkelstein, Yuval Gadot, Assaf Kleiman, Gunnar Lehmann, Defna Langgut, Aren M. Maeir, Nadav Na’aman, Thomas Römer, Lidar Sapir-Hen, Katja Soennecken, Dieter Vieweger, Ido Wachtel, and Naama Yahalom-Mack.
Table of ContentsContributors
Preface
Introduction Ido Koch, Oded Lipschits and Omer Sergi
1. Paleo-environment of the Southern Levant during the Bronze and Iron Ages: The Pollen Evidence Dafna Langgut and Israel Finkelstein
2. Animal Subsistence Economy during the Late Bronze-Iron I: Continuity vs. Change Lidar Sapir-Hen
3. From Production Autonomy to Centralization: The Iron I to Iron IIA Transition from a Metallurgical Perspective Naama Yahalom-Mack
4. The Northern Coastal Plain during the Early Iron Age (Iron I – Early Iron IIA) Gunnar Lehmann
5. Sixty Years after Aharoni: Iron Age Settlements in the Upper Galilee Ido Wachtel
6. Beyond Hazor: Urban Durability, Political Instability and Collective Memory in the Northern Jordan Valley at the Turn of the Second Millennium BCE Assaf Kleiman
7. Canaanites in a Changing World: The Jezreel Valley during the Iron Age I Eran Arie
8. Transitions between the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age II: The Character of the Iron I Settlement at Tall Zirāʿa in Northern Jordan Dieter Vieweger and Katja Soennecken
9. Iron I Settlements in the Highlands of Samaria and the Creation of Group Identities with an Emphasis on Mount Ebal Yuval Gadot
10. The Formation of the Israelite Monarchies in Archaeology, History and Historiography Omer Sergi
11. Like Frogs out of a Pond: Identity Formation in Early Iron Age Philistia and Beyond Aren M. Maeir
12. Collapse and Regeneration in Late Second Millennium Southwest Canaan Ido Koch
13. A False Contrast? On the Possibility of an Early Iron Age Nomadic Monarchy in the Arabah (Early Edom) and Its Implications for the Study of Ancient Israel Erez Ben-Yosef
14. The Book of Josiah or the Book of Joshua? Excavating the Literary History of the Conquest Story Cynthia Edenburg
15. The Origin, Function and Disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant according to the Hebrew Bible Thomas Römer
16. The Scope of the Pre-Deuteronomistic Saul – David Story Cycle Nadav Na’aman
17. The Rise of Ancient Israel: The View from 2021 Israel Finkelstein
Index of Geographic Names
Index of Subjects
Index of Modern Authors
