This dissertation examines the relationship between selected Iron Age cultic sites found in the land of Canaan and their material cultures. The resulting data allows the creation of tentative paradigms reflecting the material culture found in Iron Age temples, chapels, votive shrines, and offertory shrines. The paradigms are then applied to Megiddo 2081, concluding that it was a chapel and not a mere corner shrine. After an introductory chapter, chapter 2 surveys the history of research on the investigation of cult centers in ancient Palestine. This chapter traces the maturation of archaeological investigation of the Canaanite and Israelite cult centers by biblical and Syro-Palestinian archeologists of the twentieth century. Chapter 3 surveys the material culture of the Iron Age cult centers found at Shean strata VI-V, Sarepta Shrines 1 and 2, Hazor 3283, Khirbat al-Mudayna, Tell Qasile temples 319, 200, 131 and 300, and the cultic room at Taanach. Chapter 4 established definitions for a "temple," a "chapel," and "shrine" based upon the architectural grandeur of the buildings. The chapter also discusses the presence of jewelry in a cultic matrix concluding that these finds indicate that an idol may have stood in the cult center. Finally, the chapter develops tentative artifactual paradigms for a temple, a chapel, an offertory shrine, and a votive shrine. Chapter 5 applies the tentative paradigms to Megiddo 2081 where the architecture is uncertain. The paradigms show that the cultic assemblage at Megiddo 2081 resembles most closely a chapel assemblage. A concluding chapter summarizes the dissertation. The dissertation also has five appendices. Appendix 1 establishes a relative chronology and valid loci from Beth Shean. Appendix 2 provides a listing of the artifacts according to provenance in the order of the database artifact number. Appendix 3 groups the artifacts according to loci. Appendix 4 contains the plates which illustrate the arguments of the dissertation. Appendix 5 has tables which show the statistical similarities between the paradigms and Megiddo 2081.

No description available.

During the Middle Bronze II B-C period (1800-1500 B.C.) Palestine underwent an unprecedented period of urban development. This urban development had several spatial consequences, which may be divided into three categories: (1) Spatial relationships between urban settlements and features of the local and regional environment, (2) Spatial patterns in the internal organization of urban settlements, and (3) Spatial patterns in the distribution of urban and rural settlements across the landscape. These three categories form the basis of this dissertation. With respect to the relationship between urban settlements and environmental features, it is demonstrated that urban settlements are associated with productive agricultural land, ample natural water sources, and natural routes of travel. They are also found only in regions where rainfall is sufficient for successful dry farming. The internal spatial organization of Middle Bronze urban settlements is found to be characterized by both agglomeration and centrality. Zones of land-use related to various urban functions are identified, and the similarity of these cities to other pre-industrial cities is demonstrated. Examination of the distribution of urban settlements across the land-scape suggests that these cities were not integrated into a regional urban system, but rather were independent city-states, each with its own supporting region. An examination of rural settlements within the hypothetical supporting region of each urban center supports this conclusion, although the inadequacies of survey within each of these regions preclude definitive conclusions.

The late third millennium B.C. in Israel until recently was known by funerary deposits only. At Jebel Qaᶜaqir, the domestic and funerary remains provide an unprecedented assemblage and permit a reassessment of Early Bronze IV society and events culminating in the collapse of the Early Bronze III urban centers. Historically, pottery studies have focused on chronological issues. After reviewing the history of ceramic analysis in Israel for the past one hundred years, the Jebel Qaᶜaqir collection is presented. Variation in the manufacturing technique and incised patterns are described in detail for the purpose of identifying the work of individual potters. Ethnoarchaeological research of pottery production, especially the Filipino potters of Paradijon, provide the model for this analysis. The nature of the late third millennium B.C. pastoral nomadic society is examined in terms of subsistence strategies and settlement distribution. Inferences regarding social organization drawn from mortuary practices, settlement types and organization of labor challenge the idea that an egalitarian society persisted. Finally, these results provide a new perspective on the events following the collapse of the third millennium B.C. urban centers and the succeeding era of a non-sedentary lifestyle in Israel. The nomadic pastoralists are considered in their regional setting as an integral, indigenous part of Early Bronze Age society. Rather than viewing the pastoralists as a new phenomenon, they are considered as an ever-present characteristic of the urban hinterland.

Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.Th. (Old Testament)

Thesis (MA (Ancient Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 1992. / In the course of this M.A. thesis, 65 stamp seals (conoids, scaraboids, signet rings and scarabs) have been collected, described, and analyzed. They stem from legal archaeological excavations in Syro-Palestine, and have been found in strata and contexts which can clearly be ascribed to the Persian period. Methodological questions were addressed, including the following: historical outline of the Persian period, geographical limitations of the study, archaeological considerations, and the iconographic and epigraphic aspects of the study. For the description process, a computerized system was developed, by means of which the seals could be described on three levels: general description, element description, modification description. In this way, a uniform way of handling the data was achieved. The description procedure is reflected in the fonn of a catalogue. In order to facilitate the analysis, the seal corpus was organized in three, at times overlapping, classes: iconographic seals, epigraphic seals, and hieroglyphic seals. The different classes were then analyzed according to their peculiarities, e.g. geographical distribution, iconographic motif groups, palaeography, onomastica, etc. It was shown that the corpus of stamp seals from the Persian period consists of a wide variety of objects in tenns of form and content, and could by no means be characterized as being homogenous. A certain relationship between geographical origin, fonn, and content of the seal could be established.

Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.Th. (Old Testament)

No description available.

This paper traces burials from Iron Age I Canaan that reflect an influence of Philistine culture. This influence can be measured by the presence of Philistine bichrome pottery or other evidence related to this ancient biblical people. A major road block to the clearest possible understanding of Philistine burials is that no cemeteries have been found at any of the earliest settlements of the biblical Philistines, the Pentapolis. The Old Testament lists these cities as Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza (e.g. Joshua 13:3). Though extensive excavation has been conducted at most of these sites, they have yet to yield a necropolis. Excavations are still being done at Tell es-Safi/Gath and Ashkelon, so hopefully the future will supply researchers with data to help clarify this rather vague area of Philistine studies. Recognizing these limitations, the paper presents a "symbiotic model," which identifies some of the areas of shared culture from the Canaanite context. Examples of this symbiosis are seen as the amalgamated result of people groups living in close proximity to each other and influencing the customs and practices of their neighbors. A Mycenaean origin of the Philistines is an underlying supposition of the research laid out in this paper. Because of this origin, and the other influences upon the early Philistine settlers in Canaan, a certain amount of cultural comparison becomes necessary to be able to understand the developing Philistine culture of Iron I. The paper includes a map of tombs and burials bearing Philistine influence and a map identifying different types of tombs and their locations. The variety of tomb types is an important facet of Philistine custom. The strong Egyptian influence upon Canaan and the surrounding area at that time in history is inescapable. Evidence of this influence will be explored. The inclusion of a chapter on the anthropoid clay coffins, and the Philistines' relationship to them, struggles with the scholarly interpretations. Finally, a chapter on literary implications strives to shed light on possible Philistine burial practices from the perspective of the Old Testament and other applicable literatures of the ancient Near East. / Old Testament / D. Th.

The availability of water and subsequent systems that developed around it played an important role throughout biblical lands and their surroundings. Water’s contribution spanned across all facets of life, times of peace and war, affecting the elite and the poor. The research focuses on the different aspects of water, both in its natural and anthropogenic distribution. The combination of archaeology, anthropology, and geography explores the following questions: What can be learnt from contemporary civilisations? What social implications did water systems have on ancient Palestine’s society? Did the extent of the impact lessen once water was secured? The multidisciplinary approach aids in understanding the effect of water availability the social structures required for the creation, use, and maintenance of the different water systems. Water was, at first, a basic need for survival in rural areas, turning into a magnificent show of power of the ruling elite of ancient Palestine. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)