Ritual and Power in Northern Israel
The Late Bronze and Iron Ages
by Erin Hall
This book aims to trace the evolution of public cult in the northern highlands and valleys of Canaan and the Northern Kingdom of Israel from the Late Bronze IIA to the Iron IIB (14th-8th centuries BCE) through the study of archaeological contexts and remains. It also examines the nature of cult and the relationship of ritual to power through an analysis of cult and centralization. It asks whether evidence for cult centralization, when viewed on an anthropological-archaeological level rather than from the biblical perspective, is apparent. This book also fills several gaps in the research. It eschews a focus on the biblical narrative in favor of anthropological and archaeological approaches to the study of ritual and cult. Since the biblical narrative has held so much sway in the research on the “ancient Israelite” cult, the archaeology of cult in the northern Kingdom of Israel has never been studied separate from the southern Kingdom of Judah. This then warrants a thorough examination of cult within the northern geopolitical entity, which developed along a different trajectory than its southern counterpart. A comparison of the Late Bronze Canaanite and Iron Age northern Israelite cults allows for a broader perspective on continuity and change as well as on the nature of the centralization or decentralization of ritual in Canaan/Israel and other areas within the ancient Near East. Overall, this book compiles and presents a database for current and future study. It is expected to have a long-lasting impact on interdisciplinary studies which seek to synthesize the archaeology of cult in the northern Kingdom of Israel with biblical studies and anthropology. Through the study of ritual in Canaan and Israel, it is anticipated that the idiosyncrasies of cult(s) in other time periods and regions will become more apparent.
Acknowledgments Part I: Introduction and Overview Chapter 1: Introduction Research Aims Overview of Book Chapter 2: Geographical and Historical Background Geography of Northern Israel Chronology of the Late Bronze and Iron Ages Canaanite and Israelite Identity Late Bronze Age City-States The Rise of the Northern Kingdom of Israel Chapter 3: Review of Literature Archaeology of Cult, Ritual and Religion Definitions Approaches Archaeology of Cult in the Southern Levant Archaeology of Centralization Archaeology of Cult Centralization Chapter 4: Theoretical and Material Approaches Research Questions Theoretical Framework Archaeological Methods Limitations of the Study Part II: The Material Culture Chapter 5: Cult in the Late Bronze and Iron Age I Jezreel Valley Megiddo Tell Qiri Beth Shean Valley Beth Shean Pella Tell Abu al-Kharaz Samarian Highlands Mount Ebal The "Bull Site" Tel Dothan Shiloh Huleh Valley Hazor Summary Chapter 6: Cult in the Iron Age IIA-B Jezreel Valley Megiddo Ta'anach Tel Kedesh / Tell Abu Qudeis Beth Shean Valley Beth Shean Tel Rehov Tel 'Amal Pella Samarian Highlands Tell el-Far'ah N. / Tirzah Tel Dothan Shiloh Samaria Huleh Valley Tel Dan Summary Part III: Catalog and Synthesis Chapter 7: Catalog of Cult Finds Four-horned Altars Shrine Models Cult Stands "Petaled" Cult Stands and Chalices Horned Funnels Strainer Jars Perforated Cups Figurines Summary Chapter 8: Discussion A Holistic Approach to Cult Cultic Architecture Ceramics Faunal Remains Cultic Paraphernalia Continuity and Change in Cult Practices Late Bronze Age - Iron Age I Iron Age I - Iron Age IIA Iron Age IIA - Iron Age IIB Regional and Inter-regional Aspects of Cult Jezreel Valley Beth Shean Valley Samarian Highlands Huleh Valley Synthesis Cult Centralization and the Relationship of Ritual to Power Late Bronze Age - Iron Age I Iron Age IIA Iron Age IIB Chapter 9: Conclusions Bibliography
- By (author) Erin Hall
Other Titles in this Series
Kinneret II
Results of the Excavations at Tell el-'Oreme, 1994-2008: Vol. 1: The Bronze Age, Iron Age II, Post-Iron Age Periods, and Other Studies
Volume 120
Rishon le-Zion. Volume I
The Middle Bronze Age II Cemeteries (Volume I/1: The Excavations + Volume I/2: Finds and Conclusions)
Volume 88
Der Raum der Zeit
Eine Untersuchung zu den altagyptischen Vorstellungen und Konzeptionen von Zeit und Raum anhand des Unterweltbuches Amduat
Volume 64
From Memphis to Babylon
African Individuals and Groups in Texts from Chaldean and Achaemenid Babylonia
Volume 125
Agyptische Tier- und Gotterbronzen aus Unteragypten
Untersuchungen zu Typus, Ikonographie und Funktion sowie der Bedeutung innerhalb der Kulturkontakte zu Griechenland
Volume 81
A Sage in New Haven
Essays on the Prophets, the Writings, and the Ancient World in Honor of Robert R. Wilson
Volume 117
From Stone Age to Stellenbosch
Studies on the Ancient Near East in Honour of Izak (Sakkie) Cornelius
Volume 107
The Late Egyptian Underworld
Sarcophagi and Related Texts from the Nectanebid Period: Part I: Sacophagi and Texts, Part II: Plates
Volume 72
Mezad Yeroham
A Caravanserai Site of the Roman and Byzantine Periods in the Negev Highlands
Volume 134
Sonnenlauf und kosmische Regeneration
Zur Systematik der Lebensprozesse in den Unterweltsbuchern - Teil 1: Untersuchungen, Teil 2: Materialien des Tabellenwerks und der Schautafeln
Volume 71
Egypt and the Hebrew Bible / Agypten und Altes Testament
Proceedings of the Conference Celebrating 40 Years AAT, Munich, 6-7 Dec. 2019 / Fachtagung '40 Jahre AAT', Munchen, 6-7. Dez. 2019
Volume 100
Aufruhrer, Rebellen, Widersacher
Untersuchungen zum Wortfeld 'Feind' im pharaonischen Agypten. Ein lexikalisch-phraseologischer Beitrag
Volume 74
Auslander in Agypten wahrend des Mittleren Reiches und der Hyksoszeit / Die auslandische Bevolkerung
Volume 42.2
Tell it in Gath
Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel. Essays in Honor of Aren M. Maeir on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday
Volume 90
Final Reports of the Lebanese-German Excavations at Beirut, BEY 020. Volume III
Small Objects and the Dog Burials
Volume 108
Altagyptische Weltsichten
Akten des Symposiums zur historischen Topographie und Toponymie Altagyptens vom 12.-14.Mai in Munchen
Volume 68
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