Israel's Ethnogenesis: Settlement, Interaction, Expansion and Resistance (Approaches to Anthropological Archaeology) - Hardcover

Faust, Avraham

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1904768989 ISBN 13: 9781904768982

Publisher: Routledge, 2006

Synopsis

The emergence of Israel in Canaan is a central topic in biblical/Syro-Palestinian archaeology. However, the archaeology of ancient Israel has rarely been subject to in-depth anthropological analysis until now. 'Israel's Ethnogenesis' offers an anthropological framework to the archaeological data and textual sources. Examining archaeological finds from thousands of excavations, the book presents a theoretical approach to Israel s ethnogenesis that draws on the work of recent critics. The book examines Israelite ethnicity ranging from meat consumption, decorated and imported pottery, Israelite houses, circumcision, and hierarchy and traces the complex ethnic negotiations that accompanied Israel s ethnogenesis. 'Israel's Ethnogenesis' is unique in its contribution to the archaeology of ethnicity, offering an anthropological study that will be of interest to students of history, Israelite culture and religion, and the evolution of ethnic groups.

About this title

Review:

'Covers a wide range of important and interesting ground and is a must read for anyone interested in Israelite ethnicity. [Faust's] approach to Israel's ethnogenesis, which eclectically combines the strongest points of the major theories, is gradually becoming the standard view among scholars who specialize in Israelite origins and identity.' --Kenton L. Sparks, Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania, The Review of Biblical Literature, 2008

'Throughout the discussion, Faust employs a wide range of socio-anthropological models, making this book the most innovative and successful analysis yet of Israelite ethnicity.' --William G. Dever, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Arizona, in Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2008

'This is an authorative tour across 400 odd years of early Israel's development. Faust leaves a clear and deep understanding of how Israel came to take the ethnogenesis it embraced. He writes in a clear manner and pauses to ask the right questions about why events unfolded as they did, giving lucid answers drawn from a deep understanding of the Iron I and II periods. This fascinating and powerful book is true to its subtitle, early Israel's 'settlement, interaction, expansion and resistance'.' --Levi-Sala Prize Committee

'The place to begin any serious investigation into the topic of the origins of ancient Israel.' --Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin

'Essential reading for anyone interested in the archaeology of the Early Iron Age in the Southern Levant, Ancient Israel and the archaeology of ethnicity.' --Palestine Exploration Quarterly

Synopsis:

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 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 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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1904768989
• ISBN 13: 9781904768982
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 306