Ethnofabrics: Petrographic Analysis as a Tool for Illuminating Cultural Interactions and Trade Relations between Judah and Philistia during the Iron Age II

Cohen-Weinberger, Anat; Szanton, Nahshon; Uziel, Joe

doi:10.5615/bullamerschoorie.377.0001

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…A non-local gromwell species in the temples indicates offerings of traded goods. This finding is supported by a non-local storage jar near the altar of the D3 temple and fits well with accumulated data on the economic relations of Philistia and Judah throughout the Iron Age 18 , 82 – 84 . The trade status of crops increased the value of the offering.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Plant-related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath

Frumin,

Maeir,

Eniukhina

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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The Philistine culture (Iron Age, ca. 1200-604 BCE) profoundly impacted the southern Levant's cultural history, agronomy, and dietary customs. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the Philistines’ cultic praxis and deities, is limited and uncertain. Here, we combine archaeological data with a meticulous study of plant use at two successive temples at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfī/Gath. We provide a list of the plants used, their time of harvest, mode of offering, and possible symbolism. Analysis of the temples' macrobotanical (seed and fruits) plant assemblage reveals the offerings; that the inception date for rites was early spring; and sheds light on the date of the final utilization of the temples (late summer/early fall). Besides food crops, we note the earliest cultic use of chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus), crown daisy (Glebionis coronaria), and scabious (Lomelosia argentea). These wide-spread Mediterranean plants were known so far only in later cults—of early Greek deities, such as Hera, Artemis, Demeter, and Asclepios. We discuss the data as reflecting that the Philistine religion relied on the magic and power of nature, such as fresh water and seasonality, which influence human life, health, and activity. In sum, our results offer novel insights into the culture of the Philistines.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Plant-related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath

Frumin,

Maeir,

Eniukhina

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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“…1965) and can also be described as ‘Moẓa clay with Aminadav dolomite sand’ (e.g., Cohen‐Weinberger et al . 2017, 9–10, Group A, fig. 10; Ben‐Shlomo and Mommsen 2018, 356, Group 2b; also Goren and Halperin 2004, 2,556–2,557; LCP Petrofabric No.…”

Section: Petrographic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Back to Naṣbeh: New Compositional Analysis of Philistine Bichrome Pottery from Tell en‐Naṣbeh

2021

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Philistine Bichrome pottery is one of the most important, well‐known, and easily identifiable features of the Philistine material culture of the early Iron Age (ca. 1,200–1,000 BCE) in the southern Levant. The Philistines were probably a group of immigrants from the Aegean region and Cyprus arriving at several sites in the southern coastal plains of Palestine. More than 25 years ago, results from Neutron Activation of several Philistine Bichrome vessels from the site of Tell en‐Naṣbeh were published by Gunneweg and others. The results were surprising because some of the typical Philistine vessels were found to be locally produced at this hill‐land Judean site. Several vessels found to have been from an un‐localized source. This study follows up on this issue, incorporating both petrographic and new chemical analysis, and enlarging the sample size. Consequently, we can provenance most Philistine vessels from this site more clearly to the central hills, the southern coastal plains (Philistia), and the central coastal plains of Israel. The significance of the distribution of the provenance of the Philistine pottery is further discussed.

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“…Therefore, we will organize the research conducted into thematic and methodological groups. In addition to Goren and Porat, several recent authors have been notably prolific in this regard, and alongside the now traditional production of short reports, have used ceramic analysis to address significant cultural questions (Ben-Shlomo 2006;Boness et al 2015;Cohen-Weinberger and Goren 2004;Cohen-Weinberger et al 2017;Gilboa et al 2015;Iserlis 2009;Iserlis et al 2015;Maeir et al 2019;Waiman-Barak et al 2014). However, it is worth stating that despite great interest in petrography, the vast majority of research has been published by a relatively small number of scholars.…”

Section: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ceramic studies and petrographic analysis in Levantine archaeology, the limitations of current approaches

Badreshany

Gibbons

2020

Levant

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By way of an introduction to this volume, we look to provide a brief review of recent approaches to ceramic studies in Levantine archaeology, and to the way that the results of laboratory-based investigations have been integrated within these. As we are interested in using ceramic data to address questions that extend beyond single-site studies, we pay particular attention to the information potential offered by the large-scale integration of ceramic and petrographic data from multiple archaeological projects. We will begin by highlighting some of the weaknesses of traditional approaches to pottery in Levantine archaeology and how these have continued to limit the interpretive potential of ceramic data. The strengths and weaknesses of petrographic research in the region to date will be discussed, and observations made regarding the use of petrography and geochemistry to address wider issues. The question of how new approaches, and the large-scale integration of ceramic data, might be used to address key social and economic questions in Levantine archaeology will form the subject of the concluding paper of this volume.

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Ethnofabrics: Petrographic Analysis as a Tool for Illuminating Cultural Interactions and Trade Relations between Judah and Philistia during the Iron Age II

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Plant-related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath

Plant-related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath

Back to Naṣbeh: New Compositional Analysis of Philistine Bichrome Pottery from Tell en‐Naṣbeh

Ceramic studies and petrographic analysis in Levantine archaeology, the limitations of current approaches

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