Local exchange in the southern levant during the early bronze age: a political economy viewpoint

Trade and relations between the southern Levant and other regions of the Near East (mainly Egypt) during the Early Bronze Age (ca. 3,600–2,300 BC) have been the subject of many studies. Research concerning the exchange of local commodities was almost ignored or was discussed in parochial studies, focusing on specific archaeological finds. It is the intention of this paper to present the results of recent research of the exchange of commodities provided by archaeological data from excavations in the Southern Levant with regard to economic theories on the exchange-value of goods and exchange networks. Conclusions regarding the type of society and the forms of government in the Southern Levant during the Early Bronze Age are also presented.

Timna revisited : egyptian chronology and the copper mines of the southern Arabah

This article studies the chronology of the New Kingdom Egyptian copper mining in the southern Arabah valley, and particularly Timna, traditionally dated in the 13th– 12th centuries BCE. a reassessment is made of the local archaeological evidence and especially of the findings of the Hejazi Qurayya pottery in archaeological assemblages of the southern Levant. It is argued that the chronology of the New Kingdom activities at Timna needs a revision towards lower dates.

De la teoría al análisis de los sistemas-mundo : consideraciones sobre la interacción entre Egipto, Kerma y Biblos (c. 1985-1640 a.C.)

Resumen: Este trabajo aborda la posibilidad de analizar las relaciones entre diferentes sociedades del noreste de África y el Levante a través del análisis de los sistemas-mundo c. 1985–1640 a.C.

Recently discovered Iron Age lion figurines from Jerusalem

Abstract: More than 500 Iron Age figurines were discovered in the 2005–2010 Western Wall Plaza excavations in Jerusalem.1 The excavations revealed a large building, probably of the four-room type. Many figurines were discovered in this building, others in fills below and above it, dating in general to the eighth-sixth centuries BCE. Here we focus on two heads most likely depicting lions, one of them exceptional—holding another animal in its mouth. We discuss the identification of these figurines as lions, the lion motif in a variety of media in the Southern Levant, and finally recent theories concerning lions in the Hebrew Bible and their relation to Yahweh. We suggest that the two Western Wall Plaza figurines represent lions as wild animals, in similarity to other figurines of wild animals made on occasion by Judean coroplasts.

Antiguo Oriente: Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente, 2007, n° 5 (número completo)

Sumario -- Colaboraciones -- Iron Age Complex, Radiocarbon Dates and Edom: Working with the Data and Debates / Thomas E. Levy ; Mohammad Najjar ; Thomas Higham -- Some Notes on Inscriptional Genres and the Siloam Tunnel Inscription / Rochelle I. Altman -- Redistribution and Markets in the Economy of Ancient Mesopotamia: Updating Polanyi / Morris Silver -- De la evocación del pasado: la narrative bíblica y la historiografía clásica en comparación / Emanuel Pfoh -- Réalité et importance de la chasse dans les communautés halafiennes en Mésopotamie du Nord et au Levant Nord au VI millénaire avant J.-C. / Alain Gaulon -- “Lo que nuestros padres nos contaron” (Sal 78,3): el Antiguo Testamento y la Historia de Israel / Gabriel M. Nápole -- Mummy 61074: a Strange Case of Mistaken Identity / Shawn McAvoy -- The Pig´s Testimony / Gidi Yahalom -- Centro y Periferia en el Antiguo Israel: Nuevas aproximaciones a las prácticas funerarias del Calcolítico en la Planicie Costera / Amir Gorzalczany -- El Moderno Sistema-Mundo y la Evolución / Immanuel Wallerstein -- Reportes de excavación -- The Rope Cave at Mersa Gawasis: A Preliminary Report / André J. Veldmeijer & Chiara Zazzaro -- Reseñas bibliográficas