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
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