Search

We explore the hypothetical distinction between texts of priestly (P) and non-priestly (nonP) origin in Genesis and Exodus with an independent computational and statistical methodology. We introduce a novel textual stylometry pipeline, where we intertwine descriptive and inferential statistics for distinction optimization, quantification of uncertainty, and feature importance analysis.

Most surviving biblical period Hebrew inscriptions are ostraca (ink-on-clay texts). They are poorly preserved and might fade rapidly once unearthed. Their proper and timely documentation is therefore essential. Our study of numerous Hebrew ostraca has demonstrated that multispectral imaging has the potential to reveal letters on ostraca otherwise invisible to the naked eye. In the case of Arad Ostracon No. 16 from Judah, dated to ca. 600 bce, we unveiled three lines of text on its supposedly blank reverse side. This surprising outcome led us to question how many ostraca we might be discarding during excavations simply because the sherds look blank. To tackle the problem, we propose a preliminary excavation protocol for screening ceramic sherds prior to disposal. The protocol is based on our limited experience rather than fully supported statistical test experiments. Here we demonstrate the application of this procedure on recently unearthed pottery sherds from the excavation at Kiriath-jearim near Jerusalem.

We present a pipeline for a statistical textual exploration, offering a stylometry-based explanation and statistical validation of a hypothesized partition of a text. Given a parameterization of the text, our pipeline: (1) detects literary features yielding the optimal overlap between the hypothesized and unsupervised partitions, (2) performs a hypothesis-testing analysis to quantify the statistical significance of the optimal overlap, while conserving implicit correlations between units of text that are more likely to be grouped, and (3) extracts and quantifies the importance of features most responsible for the classification, estimates their statistical stability and cluster-wise abundance. We apply our pipeline to the first two books in the Bible, where one stylistic component stands out in the eyes of biblical scholars, namely, the Priestly component. We identify and explore statistically significant stylistic differences between the Priestly and non-Priestly components.

The revival of economic and cultural contacts between Greece and the Levant during the early first millennium BCE has received much attention in scholarship, as Aegean imports found in the Eastern Mediterranean provide a reliable framework for inter-regional synchronization. In this article, we discuss Aegean sherds that were found in stratified Iron IIA contexts during recent excavations at Megiddo, one of the crucial sites for the establishment of Greek Protogeometric and Geometric chronology. An archaeometric analysis of these sherds suggests that some of them originated in Euboea. The specific Aegean provenance of the other fragments remains uncertain, but based on typological observations, two items, probably from the same vessel, appear to have originated from an Aegean milieu. The exposure of such imports at Megiddo, with its well-established stratigraphy, ceramic typology and radiocarbon dating system, is another contribution to the chronological synchronization of Greece and the Levant in the early first millennium BCE.

International audience

Fil: Finkelstein, Israel. Universidad de Tel Aviv; Israel Abstract: In a recent article, Erez Ben-Yosef describes an ostensible bias in biblical archaeology— the emphasis on societies that left behind stone-built remains and a disregard for pastoral nomadic-based territorial polity. Ben-Yosef identifies the Iron I-IIA finds from the copper centers at Faynan and Timna as representing an early Edomite, nonsedentary kingdom. Here I deal with three issues: I begin by showing that most of Ben-Yosef’s premises have already been suggested by scholars decades ago. I then turn to what I consider as major shortcomings in his theory. Finally, I present an alternative model for an Iron I-IIA territorial entity in the Arabah and neighboring areas as well as for the rise of the kingdom of Edom. Resumen: En un reciente artículo, Erez Ben-Yosef señala un sesgo osensible en la arqueología bíblica: el énfasis puesto en las sociedades que dejaron restos de construcciones de piedra y la desatención por organizaciones políticas territoriales basadas en el nomadismo pastoral. Ben-Yosef identifica los hallazgos provenientes de los centros de cobre en Feinán y Timna que corresponden a la Edad del Hierro I-IIA como representativos de un primer reino edomita, no sedentario. Aquí trato tres cuestiones: comienzo por demostrar que la mayoría de las premisas de Ben-Yosef ya fueron propuestas por estudiosos hace décadas. Luego me dedico a considerar lo que considero las mayores deficiencias en su teoría. Finalmente presento un modelo alternativo de una entidad territorial en el Arabá en la Edad del Hierro I-IIA y en las regiones aledañas, así como también sobre el ascenso del reino de Edom.

International audience

Finkelstein Israel. Les fouilles archéologiques à Qiryath Yéarim et le récit de l’arche d’alliance. In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 162e année, N. 2, 2018. pp. 983-1000.

Finkelstein Israel. Archéologie traditionnelle et micro-archéologie : l’exemple des sites des hauteurs du Negev (Israël) à l’âge du Fer. In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 160e année, N. 1, 2016. pp. 233-254.

International audience

Fil: Yahalom-Mack, Naama. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Institute of Earth Sciences; Israel Fil: Yahalom-Mack, Naama. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Institute of Archaeology; Israel Fil: Martin, Mario A. S. Tel Aviv University; Israel Fil: Tirosh, Ofir. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Institute of Earth Sciences; Israel Fil: Erel, Yigal. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Institute of Earth Sciences; Israel Fil: Finkelstein, Israel. Tel Aviv University. Institute of Archaeology; Israel Abstract: me of the vessels was tempered with copper smelting slag. Here we show, using lead isotope analysis, that the slag was likely a byproduct of the contemporaneous smelting operations at Faynan, Jordan. We substantiate previous observations regarding the connection between settlements in the Negev Highlands and the mining and smelting operations in Wadi Arabah. Resumen: El análisis petrográfico de la cerámica de las tierras altas del Negev de la Edad del Hierro IIA reveló que la arcilla utilizada en algunos recipientes fue templada con escoria resultante de la fundición de cobre. En este trabajo mostramos, utilizando análisis de isótopos de plomo, que la escoria era probablemente un subproducto de las operaciones de fundición contemporáneas en Feinán, Jordania. Corroboramos observaciones previas con respecto a la conexión entre asentamientos en las tierras altas del Negev y las operaciones mineras y de fundición en el Wadi Arabá.

International audience; The relative chronology of the Aegean Iron Age is robust. It is based on minute stylistic changes in the Submycenaean,Protogeometric and Geometric styles and their sub-phases. Yet, the absolute chronology of the time-span between the finalstages of Late Helladic IIIC in the late second millennium BCE and the archaic colonization of Italy and Sicily toward the endof the 8th century BCE lacks archaeological contexts that can be directly related to events carrying absolute dates mentionedin Egyptian/Near Eastern historical sources, or to well-dated Egyptian/Near Eastern rulers. The small number of radiocarbondates available for this time span is not sufficient to establish an absolute chronological sequence. Here we present a newset of short-lived radiocarbon dates from the sites of Lefkandi, Kalapodi and Corinth in Greece. We focus on the crucialtransition from the Submycenaean to the Protogeometric periods. This transition is placed in the late 11th century BCEaccording to the Conventional Aegean Chronology and in the late 12th century BCE according to the High AegeanChronology. Our results place it in the second half of the 11th century BCE.

Fil: Finkelstein, Israel. Universidad de Tel Aviv; Israel Introduction: In the first half of the eighth century b.c.e., Israel ruled over the lion’s share of the territory of the two Hebrew kingdoms (fig. 1), and its population accounted for three quarters of the people of Israel and Judah combined (Broshi and Finkelstein 1992). Israel was stronger than Judah both militarily and economically, and in the first half of the ninth century and in the first half of the eighth century—almost half the time the two kingdoms co-existed—Israel dominated the southern kingdom. Nonetheless, Israel has lingered in the shadow of Judah, both in the story told in the Hebrew Bible and in the attention paid to it by modern scholarship...

We consider the consequences of a shared brand name such as geographical names used to identify high quality products, for the incentives of otherwise autonomous firms to invest in quality. We contend that such collective brand labels improve communication between sellers and consumers, when the scale of production is too small for individual firms to establish reputations on a stand alone basis. This has two opposing effects on member firms' incentives to invest in quality. On the one hand, it increases investment incentives by increasing the visibility and transparency of individual member firms, which increases the return from investment in quality. On the other hand, it creates an incentive to free ride on the group's reputation, which can lead to less investment in quality. We identify parmater values under which collective branding delivers higher quality than is achievable by stand alone firms.

Sumario -- The pottery of Edom: A Correction / Israel Finkelstein & Lily Singer-Avitz -- The Jezirah Burnished Ware / Stefano Valentini -- The Cordage from Berenike (1994-2000): The Statics / André J. Veldmeijer -- A Reevaluation of the Use of !bz and bhy in Elephantine / Alejandro F. Botta -- Four Ur III Administrative Tablets in the Possesion of Professor Francis Carroll, University of Manitoba / John Nielsen -- Una actualización de la Cronología Baja: arqueología, historia y Biblia / Israel Finkelstein -- The Alleged “Anchor Point” of 732 BC for the Destrction of Hazor V / Peter James -- The “Wicked Priest” in Egyptology and Amarna Studies: A Reconsideration / Samuel Jackson -- Violencia fenicia en el Mediterráneo Oriental / Jordi Vidal -- Reportes de Excavación -- The Leatherwork from Deir el-Bachit: Preliminary Report / André J. Veldmeijer -- Reseñas bibliográficas -- Política editorial e instrucciones para los colaboradores -- Direcciones para envío de artículos y reseñas bibliográficas -- Colaboraciones en numeros anteriores

Fil: Finkelstein, Israel. Universidad de Tel Aviv. Instituto de Arqueología; Israel Abstract: The aim of this article is to present an up-to-date overview of the Low Chronology system for the late Iron I and early Iron II strata in the Levant, a system which I first proposed in two articles which were published about a decade ago. These articles have stimulated a fierce debate, which was a major stimulant behind the introduction of large-scale radiocarbon projects into Iron Age archaeology. And though the gap between my system and the reasonable voice in the traditional camp is narrowing (the “modified conventional chronology”) the dispute is far from being resolved. Resumen: El objetivo de este artículo es presentar una descripción actualizada del sistema de Cronología Baja para los estratos del Hierro I tardío y el Hierro II temprano en el Levante, un sistema que primeramente propuse en dos artículos que fueron publicados hace una década2. Estos artículos han estimulado un intenso debate3, que fue un gran estímulo detrás de la introducción de proyectos de radiocarbono de gran escala en la arqueología de la Edad de Hierro. Y aunque se está cerrando la brecha entre mi sistema y la voz razonable en el campo tradicional (la “cronología convencional modificada”4), el conflicto está lejos de estar resuelto.

Fil: Finkelstein, Israel. Universidad de Tel Aviv. Instituto de Arqueología; Israel Fil: Singer-Avitz, Lily. Universidad de Tel Aviv. Instituto de Arqueología; Israel Abstract: This article deals with several claims recently made by Levy et al.1 regarding pottery from Edom and sites in the Negev. Building their argument on two assumptions—that Khirbet en-Nahas constitutes part of Edom and that the fortress there dates to the 10th century BCE—they maintain that sites on the Edomite plateau had been dated to the late 7th–6th centuries BCE based on a single find—the seal impression carrying the inscription “Qos Gabr king of Edom”—and hint that this pottery should in fact be dated earlier. And based on the architectural similarity between the fortress at Khirbet en-Nahas and the fortresses of Tell el-Kheleifeh at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and of En HaÐeva in the western Arabah south of the Dead Sea, they date the latter two to the 10th century BCE, several centuries earlier than the broadly-accepted date in the Iron IIB/C. In this article we take issue with these claims. We show that dating the sites on the Edomite plateau to the late 8th-to-early 6th centuries BCE is backed by meticulous comparison to well-stratified and dated sites in southern Judah. We also show that the fortresses of Tell el-Kheleifeh and En HaÐeva cannot be dated earlier than the late 8th century. We then deal with the reasons for Levy et al.’s errors. Resumen: Este artículo se refiere a varias afirmaciones hechas recientemente por Levy et al.2 respecto de la cerámica de Edom y sitios en el Negev quienes, forjando sus argumentos en base a dos supuestos—que Khirbet en-Nahas es parte constituyente de Edom y que su fortaleza data del siglo X a.C.— sostienen que los sitios en la meseta edomita fueron datados a finales del siglo VII y el VI a.C. en base a un único hallazgo—la impresión de sello con la inscripción “Qos Gabr rey de Edom”—e insinúan que esta cerámica debe ser, de hecho, datada más tempranamente. Y, basados en la similitud arquitectónica entre la fortaleza de Khirbet en-Nahas y las fortalezas de Tell el- Kheleifeh, en la entrada del Golfo de Aqaba, y de En HaÐeva, en el Arabá occidental al sur del Mar Muerto, datan las dos últimas en el siglo X a.C., varios siglos antes que la fecha comúnmente aceptada en el Hierro IIB/C. En este artículo nos oponemos a estas afirmaciones. Demostramos que la datación de los sitios en la meseta edomita entre finales del siglo VIII a.C. y principios del VI a.C. está basada en una meticulosa comparación con sitios bien estratificados y datados de Judá meridional. También demostramos que las fortalezas de Tell el-Kheleifeh y En HaÐeva no pueden ser datadas antes de finales del siglo VIII a.C. para luego tratar las razones de los errores de Levy et al.