The emergence of Israel in Canaan is perhaps the most debated topic in biblical/Syro-Palestinian archaeology and related fields, Accordingly, it has received a great deal of attention in recent years, both in scholarly literature and in popular publications. Generally speaking, however, the archaeology of ancient Israel is wedged in a paradoxical situation. Despite the large existing database of archaeological finds from thousands of excavations conducted over an extremely limited area, scholars in this (sub)discipline typically do not engage in theoretical (anthropological) discussions, thus exposing a large gap between it and other branches of archaeology. Numerous archaeologically-oriented studies of Israelite ethnicity are still conducted largely in the spirit of the culture history school, and are absent of thorough reference to the work of more recent critics, which, at best, make a selected appearance in these analyses. Israel's Ethnogenesis provides an anthropologically-oriented perspective to the discussion of Israel's ethnogenesis. This monograph incorporates detailed archaeological data and relevant textual sources within an anthropological framework. Moreover, it contributes to the archeology of ethnicity, a field which currently attracts significant attention from archaeologists and anthropologists all over the world. Making use of an unparalleled archaeological database from ancient Israel, this volume has much to offer to the ongoing debate over the nature of ethnicity in general, and to the understudied question of how ethnic groups evolve (ethnogenesis), in particular.

The emergence of Israel in Canaan is perhaps the most debated topic in biblical/Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and related fields. Accordingly, it has received a great deal of attention in recent years, both in scholarly literature and in popular publications.Generally speaking, however, the archaeology of ancient Israel is wedged in a paradoxical situation. Despite the large existing database of archaeological finds (from thousands of excavations conducted over an extremely limited area) scholars in this (sub)discipline typically do not engage in theoretical (anthropological) discussions, thus exposing a large gap between it and other branches of archaeology, in this respect. Numerous archaeologically oriented studies of Israelite ethnicity are still conducted largely in the spirit of the culture history school, and are absent of thorough reference to the work of more recent critics, which, at best, make a selected appearance in these analyses.Israel's Ethnogenesis provides an anthropologically-oriented perspective on the discussion of Israel's ethnogenesis. This monograph incorporates detailed archaeological data and relevant textual sources, within an anthropological framework. Moreover, it contributes to the archeology of ethnicity, a field which currently attracts significant attention of archaeologists and anthropologists all over the world. Making use of an unparalleled archaeological database from ancient Israel, this volume has much to offer to the ongoing debate over the nature of ethnicity in general, and to the understudied question of how ethnic groups evolve (ethnogenesis), in particular.

With its unique geographic diversity and abundant archaeological and textual data, the southern Levant is an excellent “laboratory” for studying how Assyrian domination operated. This collection of essays explains how Neo-Assyrian rule influenced the demographics, economy, and culture of the region. A systematic study of Assyrian rule in the west that integrates archaeological and textual perspectives and reconsiders the “Assyrian Peace” paradigm has long been needed. Building on the unparalleled archaeological and textual information available from the Land of Israel and its surroundings, the studies in this book address various aspects of Assyrian rule, including life under Assyrian hegemony and the consequences of the Assyrian conquests. It includes a broad overview of the vast archaeological data from both the provinces and client kingdoms in the Land of Israel in the Assyrian period, as well as a systematic and chronological survey of Assyrian texts that mention the region or sites therein. The contributors employ widely divergent approaches to topics such as the description of Assyrian encroachment in biblical texts, the Judean experience of Assyrian control, the political structure of the Coastal Plain, and the architecture of hospitality, among others. Integrating various sources of information to reconstruct the demography, economy, architecture, and intellectual life of the southern Levant, the articles in this volume are important not only for the study of Assyrian rule but also for research on empires writ large. In addition to the editors, the contributors to this volume include Amitai Baruchi-Unna, Yigal Bloch, Alexander Fantalkin, Wayne Horowitz, David Kertai, Lily Singer-Avitz, and Peter Zilberg.

Report on the excavation of a small site, consisting of a main building and othe structural remains, as well as terraces and caves. The site first settled in the Chalcolithic, with comparatively meagre finds dating from before the later Iron Age, the site's main period of occupation ocurring during the Hellenistic era. Reports discuss architecture and stratigraphy, ceramics, coins and other small finds, and floral and faunal remains. The volume concludes with a review of Hasmonean policy in the late second century in the light of the excavations.