Archaeology, Anthropology and Cult: The Sanctuary at Gilat,Israel (Approaches to Anthropological Archaeology) - Hardcover

Levy, Thomas Evan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 190476858X ISBN 13: 9781904768586

Publisher: Routledge, 2005

Synopsis

The Chalcolithic period was formative in Near Eastern prehistory, being a time of fundamental social change in craft specialization, horticulture and temple life. Gilat - a low mound, semi-communal farming settlement in the Negev desert - is one of the few Chalcolithic sanctuary sites in the Southern Levant. 'Archaeology, Anthropology and Cult' presents a critical analysis of the archaeological data from Gilat. The book brings together archaeological finds and anthropological theory to examine the role of religion in the evolution of society and the power of ritual in promoting change. This comprehensive volume, which includes artefact drawings, photographs, maps and data tables, will be of interest to students and scholars of ancient history, anthropology, archaeology, as well as biblical and religious studies.

About this title

Review:

'The six-thousand-year old complex of buildings at Gilat, on the desert edge of the Fertile Crescent, raises important questions of how human societies were organized on the eve of urban life. The elaboration of material culture at this and related sites can only be understood in the dual context of environmental constraints and equally strong systems of belief. Tom Levy has brought together not just a highly professional scientific report but also a sustained anthropological investigation. This is both a report to refer to and a volume to read for its ideas.' --Andrew Sherratt, Professor of Archaeology, University of Oxford

'A hallmark in the study of the Levantine Chalcolithic...This volume will become standard reading for those interested in the Chalcolithic period, early religion, archaeological method and theory, and anthropological and ethnographic studies.' --American Journal of Archaeology

'A hallmark in the study of the Levantine Chalcolithic...This volume will become standard reading for those interested in the Chalcolithic period, early religion, archaeological method and theory, and anthropological and ethnographic studies.' --American Journal of Archaeology

Synopsis:

This book provides an in-depth study of the role of religion in the evolution of societies. It melds anthropological theory and archaeological data to present one of the most comprehensive archaeological studies of the role of ritual as a vital force for promoting and consolidating social change. It is based on seven seasons of archaeological excavation at the Chalcolithic site of Gilat, a low mound, located in the fields of the Moshav Gilat, a semi-communal farming settlement in Israel's northern Negev desert. The Chalcolithic period represents the first time that well-documented chiefdom organizations can be recognized in the archaeological record of the Holy Land when institutionalized social hierarchies, craft specialization, horticulture, temple life and other fundamental social changes occurred in this part of the ancient Near East. As one of the few Chalcolithic (ca. 4500 - 3600 BC) sanctuary sites in the southern Levant, the Gilat provides a wonderful opportunity to explore the role of religion and ideology as a social force for influencing social relations and social evolution through one of the formative periods in the prehistory of the eastern Mediterranean.

The collection of studies presented in this book aim at examining the material evidence for the ideological sub-system of Chalcolithic culture by through careful analyses of relatively large sets of archaeological data.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 190476858X
• ISBN 13: 9781904768586
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 886