Forthcoming from Equinox Publishing Ltd (London)
A
comprehensive study of one of the few Chalcolithic sanctuary sites
to have been excavated in the southern Levant. The new excavations at Gilat took place from
1990 – 1992 under the auspices of the Nelson Glueck School of
Biblical Archaeology, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute
of Religion, Jerusalem with Thomas Levy serving as the Principal
Investigator. The field project was co-directed by Levy and
the late David Alon.
Archaeology,
Anthropology and Cult
The
Sanctuary at Gilat, Israel
Edited
by: Thomas E. Levy
Series:
Approaches to Anthropological
Archaeology
Description
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, 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 through careful analyses of
relatively large sets of archaeological data related to ritual
practice.
The volume includes hundreds of beautiful
artifact drawings, photographs, maps, and data tables. By presenting
the data in its entirety, it is hoped that future researchers
can test their ideas with the original data.
If we are to genuinely construct an
archaeology of cult, ritual, cognition, and religion, it
is imperative that archaeologists engage with complete datasets
and meet the change of dealing with the ‘ugly’ facts of the archaeological
record. In studying the archaeology of cult and religion, the
potential for speculation is great. In the southern Levant and other parts of the
world, researchers who do not engage in dealing with entire assemblages
of ritual paraphernalia found in the archaeological record of
late 5th – early 4th millennium run similar risks of having personal
impressions dominate over actual patterns in the datasets. In
light of these and other issues, this book represents a commitment
to the greater goal of promoting more systematization in the study
of the archaeology of ritual and religion. Archaeology, Anthropology
and Cult - the Sanctuary at Gilat, Israel will surely raise
the bar in how anthropologists and archaeologists study the role
of religion in social evolution. As such, this book will be of
interest to ancient historians, anthropologists, archaeologists,
biblical scholars, students and professionals.
Specifications
|
ISBN (Hardback)
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190476858X
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Price (Hardback)
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£95.00/$175.00
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|
Publication Date
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June 2005
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Pages
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448
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Size
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189 x 246mm
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Illustrations
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366 black and white line drawings and photographs
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Readership
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scholars
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Book Status
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Not yet published
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Contents
Preface
Thomas E. Levy
I. Theory
1. Archaeology, Anthropology and Cult:
Exploring Religion in
Formative Middle Range Societies Thomas E. Levy
2. Cults, Shrines and the Emergence of
Regional Ritual Centers: The View from New Guinea Donald F. Tuzin
3. Tribal Pilgrimages to Saint’s Tombs
in South Sinai Emanuel Marx
4. The Rise of a New Negev Cult Center
Today: Baba Sali’s Sanctuary in Netivot, Israel
Yoram Bilu
II. Archaeological Foundations
5. The Sanctuary Sequence: Excavations
at Gilat: 1975-77, 1989, 1990-92 Thomas E. Levy, David Alon,
James D. Anderson, Yorke M. Rowan and Morag Kersel
III. Biological Data from Gilat
6. Farming? Feasting? Herding? Large Mammals
from the Chalcolithic of Gilat Caroline Grigson
7. Marine and Riverine
Shells from Gilat Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer
8. Death and the Sanctuary: The Human Remains
from Gilat Patricia Smith, Tania Zagerson,
Pamela Sabari, Jonathan Golden, Thomas E. Levy and Leslie Dawson
IV. The Emergence of Gilat as a Regional Cult Center – Production and Exchange
9. Tracking Ceramic Production at Gilat:
Petrographic Studies Yuval Goren
10. Gilat’s Ceramics: Cognitive Dimensions
of Pottery Production Catherine Commenge
with a contribution by Thomas E. Levy and Eric Kansa
11. Flint Tool Production at Gilat Yorke
M. Rowan
12. Gilat’s Ground Stone Assemblage: Stone
Fenestrated Stands, Bowls, Palettes and Related Artifacts Yorke
M. Rowan, Thomas E. Levy, Yuval Goren and David Alon
13. The Worked Bone from the Chalcolithic
Site of Gilat – Interim Report Caroline Grigson
V. Processes of Integration: The Emergence
of a Pan-Regional Ritual Center
14. The Intensification of Production in
the Gilat Sanctuary: Dimensions of Textile and Other Forms of
Manufacture Thomas E. Levy, Yorke M. Rowan, Wendy Conner and
David Alon
15. Gilat’s Figurines: Exploring the Social
and Symbolic Dimensions of Representation Catherine Commenge,
Thomas E. Levy, David Alon and Eric Kansa
16. Conclusion: The Evolution of a Levantine Regional Cult Center Thomas E. Levy
