2. Archaeology and Epigraphy

Arnould-Béhar, Caroline and André Lemaire (eds.), Jérusalem antique et médiévale: mélanges en l'honneur d'Ernest-Marie Laperrousaz (Collection de la Revue des Études Juives, 52; Paris/Leuven: Peeters, 2011), pp. 189. Several illustrations. €49.00. ISBN 978-2-7584-0085-1 (Paris), 978-90-429-2267-9 (Leuven).

For a review of this volume, see Section 1 above.

Buchholz, Hans-Günter and Hartmut Matthäus, Tamassos: Ein antiker Stadtstaat im Bergbaugebiet von Zypern. I. Hans-Günter Buchholz, Die Nekropolen I, II und III (AOAT, 48.1; Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2010), pp. xvi + 819. Numerous figures. €196.00. ISBN 978-3-86835-004-3.

This publishes Necropoleis I–III of the ancient site of Tamassos (modern village of Politiko) near the centre of Cyprus. Necropolis IV and Necropolis V are left for future volumes. Important in the early excavations was the improbably named M. Ohnefalsch-Richter, with work in 1885 and especially 1889, for the Berlin Museum. The excavations were renewed in 1970–80 under Buchholz, who is publishing all the finds from past excavations (he was in his late 80s when he penned the foreword in 2007). Chapters cover the sarcophagi, the grave monuments, ceramic forms, coins and inscriptions. Although the framework of the volume is in German, the contributions of the Greek collaborators are in English (including much of the text on inscriptions and coins). It is good to know that this site is finally being published after one and a quarter centuries.

L.L. Grabbe

Cantrell, Deborah O'Daniel, The Horsemen of Israel: Horses and Chariotry in Monarchic Israel (Ninth–Eighth Centuries BCE) (History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant, 1; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011), pp. xii + 150. Numerous figures. $39.50. ISBN 978-1-57506-204-4.

For a review of this volume, see Section 3 below.

Charlesworth, James H., Henry W. Morisada Rietz (associate ed.), Loren L. Johns (assistant ed.), Lawrence H. Schiffman, Andrew D. Gross, Michael C. Rand, along with J. Milgrom, M.T. Davis and A. de la Ronde Van Kirk (eds.), The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English Translations. VII. Temple Scroll and Related Documents (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck/Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2011), pp. xxviii + 414. €109.00/$150.00. ISBN 978-3-16-149755-1 (Mohr Siebeck), 978-0-664-23818-6 (WJK).

This Princeton edition of 11Q19, 11Q20, 11Q21, 4Q365a and 4Q524 follows the familiar format of the series. The Hebrew text of each document is presented with minimal restoration, and is set alongside a mainly literal English translation. More extensive restorations, particularly those of previous editors of the Temple Scroll, are frequently offered in the apparatus, which also deals with the complex question of how the biblical Vorlage underlying the Scroll relates to what is found in Qumran biblical manuscripts, the MT and the versions. As one might expect, 11Q19 (dated at 25 bce–40 ce) is treated as the defining edition of the Temple Scroll, and 11Q20 (20–50 ce) is taken to be an edition close to it. No firm conclusions are drawn about the relationship of 11Q21 (20–50 ce) to the Temple Scroll, and it is designated as a ‘Temple Scrolllike document’. The earlier manuscripts of 4Q524 (140–100 bce) and 4Q365a (125–90 bce) are described respectively as a ‘source or earlier edition’ and a ‘source or divergent copy’ of the Temple Scroll. The added inclusion of a composite text of the Scroll is much to be welcomed, even though this is necessarily a hypothetical reconstruction, since it enables one to see at a glance how the material from all these manuscript witnesses is understood to belong together. Coherent and comprehensive coverage of all the Temple Scroll material in a single volume.

D.M. Stec

Daviau, P.M. Michèle, with contributions by Martin Beckmann, Debra C. Foran, David Hemsworth, Nola J. Johnson, Margaret A. Judd, Heather Siemens and Alan Walmsley, Excavations at Tall Jawa, Jordan. IV. The Early Islamic House (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, 11.4; Leiden/Boston, MA: Brill, 2011), pp. xxxii + 540. Numerous illustrations and tables; DVD of databases, plans and images. €156.00/$230.00. ISBN 978-90-04-17552-5; ISSN 1566-2055.

This is the third volume relating to the Tall Jawa excavations to appear (vol. 2: 2002, vol. 1: 2003, neither one reviewed in B.L.). The first two volumes were on the Iron Age. The site was then abandoned for 1200 years until the Late Byzantine-Early Islamic period. As the subtitle indicates, this volume is on a single building, Building 600. The various studies here are divided into five parts: ‘1. Overview’: the site and its setting; research strategy and recording techniques. ‘2. Stratigraphic Excavations of Building 600’: field D, building 600; the mosaic floors and their construction techniques; painted plaster; architectural features; the multiple burial. ‘3. Pottery and Artefacts’: functional and formal typology of the pottery; the ceramic lamps; inscribed lamps; inscribed vessels, ostraca and plaster; the artefacts; the Early Islamic coin hoard; glass vessels and lamps. ‘4. Conclusions’: the settlement of Tall Jawa in the Balqā' region: chronological implications. ‘5. Multimedia Programme’: the Tall Jawa multimedia information system. This relates to the use of the DVD included in the volume. Most readers will find the first two volumes more relevant to their studies.

L.L. Grabbe

Drawnel, Henryk, The Aramaic Astronomical Book (4Q208–4Q211) from Qumran: Text, Translation and Commentary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), pp. xvi + 505. £180.00. ISBN 978-0-19-959043-8.

This substantial edition of the Aramaic Astronomical Book (AAB) does not belong to the DJD series, but its presentation in a folio format and the use of a light-green dust jacket give it an unmistakable resemblance to the editio princeps of the scrolls from the Judaean Desert. The presentation of the four copies of AAB, 4Q208–4Q211, is equally DJD-like: a physical description of each text is followed by overviews of the content, a detailed palaeographical dating, transcription, notes, translation and reconstruction (pp. 71–236). D. corrects the DJD edition of 4Q208 by Tigchelaar and García Martínez (p. 73) and offers his own reconstructions. Also, 4Q210 and 4Q211 have not previously been published in the DJD series (p. 7). The third section of the volume is a commentary (pp. 237–420) on the numerous issues arising from the texts: the daily waxing and waning of the moon; the use of formulas to describe these phenomena; the counting of lunar visibility throughout the month; the twelve winds; the four quarters of the sky; the order of the stars; and the calculation of winter. The core is prefaced by a survey of previous scholarship (pp. 1–70) and supplemented by nine appendixes, an Aramaic concordance, bibliography, indexes and plates. D.'s excellent re-edition and study underscores the importance of Enuma Anu Enlil (tablet 14) and the Ethiopic Astronomical Book (1 Enoch 72–82) for the understanding of AAB.

T.H. Lim

Frendo, Anthony J., Pre-Exilic Israel, the Hebrew Bible, and Archaeology: Integrating Text and Artefact (LHBOTS, 549; London/New York: T & T Clark, 2011), pp. xii + 120. £65.00. ISBN 978-0-567-41563-9.

The title of this book says exactly what it covers: ‘An introduction to the difficult but crucial problem of how to relate archaeological and historical evidence with special reference to pre-exilic Israel’ (p. ix). This is a thoughtful essay, and recommended for those who already have some knowledge of the area; a newcomer to the subject would not benefit so much from the carefully presented arguments. F. deals mainly with the more philosophical aspects of the history business, but offers two detailed studies: micro-archaeology and macro-archaeology. He notes the disadvantages of over-specialization and unacknowledged assumptions, and reminds the reader of the power of memory and of the ways in which the texts in the Hebrew Bible differ from the works of classical historians. The random nature of archaeological remains set alongside the ideologically conditioned Hebrew texts can be used together to recover a real glimpse of the past.

M. Barker

Hardin, James Walker, Lahav II: Households and the Use of Domestic Space at Iron II Tell Halif: An Archaeology of Destruction (Reports of the Lahav Research Project Excavations at Tell Halif, Israel, 2; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2010), pp. xviii + 286. 36 figures. $69.50. ISBN 978-1-57506-163-4.

This book originates in a doctoral dissertation that was presented to the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona in 2001, but was thoroughly revised and updated for publication. ‘The dissertation was based on work undertaken at Tell Halif by the Lahav Research Project (LRP) during its Phase III excavations in 1992, 1993, and 1999’ (p. xi). The archaeological data ‘presented in this volume, used collectively with information learned from both ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological studies and with the biblical text, provide a detailed and comprehensive reconstruction of the organization of the eighth-century b.c.e. household at Tell Halif’ (p. 199). Framed by introductory and concluding chapters, six further chapters form the body of the book: ‘Studying the Household’, ‘Household Archaeology in the Southern Levant’, ‘Tell Halif: Its History and Remains’, ‘Investigating the F7 Dwelling: The De Facto Assemblage’, ‘Houses and Social Structure: Ethnographic and Ethnoarchaeological Data’, and ‘Biblical Texts, the Dwelling, and Social Structure’. The volume is concluded by 20 plates with drawings of exemplary finds and an extensive bibliography. In addition, 36 figures, including maps, photos and schematics, illustrate the study. In sum, the volume presents an impressive example of meticulous archaeological research enriched by interdisciplinary approaches, providing valuable insights into the social history of the kingdom of Judah in Iron Age II and of the Assyrian destruction of Tell Halif.

D. Markl SJ

Jamieson-Drake, David W., Scribes and Schools in Monarchic Judah: A Socio-Archaeological Approach (Social World of Biblical Antiquity I, 9; Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2011), pp. viii + 240. 15 tables, 22 maps, 16 charts. £25.00/$49.50/€37.50. ISBN 978-1-906055-48-6.

This is a reprint of the 1991 edition (see B.L. 1992, pp. 34–35) with a new preface by K. Whitelam. He sees this monograph as a key contributor to the ‘fight for history’ debate that emerged in the early 1990s, helping to ‘shatter the consensus’ about both the existence and dating of the united monarchy and the development of the Judaean state. Focusing on archaeological data relating to the necessary conditions for the development of a professional scribal or administrative class, J.-D. found little evidence for widespread literacy in Judah or for an elaborate bureaucracy, not anyway until the eighth century bce and limited to Jerusalem and Jerusalem-dependent sites. Whitelam argues that this work has stood the test of time and is worth a fresh read in a new decade, with recent finds, such as the Tel Zayit abecedary, proving no real challenge to its original conclusions. In a 1991 article on the question of schools in ancient Israel, G.I. Davies mounted a considerable attack on this monograph. He argued that the incomplete use of almost exclusively southern archaeological data pointed to considerable flaws in the overall picture presented. He thought that J.-D. exaggerated the contrast between the scale of bureaucracies from Egypt and Mesopotamia and that of Judah, between simple institutions from the tenth century and more complex later ones, and between Jerusalem and the rest of Judah. In the light of such criticisms and of subsequent archaeological discoveries it is a shame that this book is not more of an update and response to such challenges rather than merely a reprint.

K.J. Dell

Jericke, Detlef, Regionaler Kult und lokaler Kult. Studien zur Kult- und Religionsgeschichte Israels und Judas im 9. und 8. Jahrhundert v. Chr. (Abhandlungen des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins, 39; Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2010), pp. x + 248. Numerous figures. €54.00/SFr 93.00. ISBN 978-3-447-06253-4; ISSN 0173-1904.

For a review of this volume, see Section 7 below.

Özdoğan, M., N. Başgelen and P. Kuniholm (eds.), The Neolithic in Turkey: New Excavations and New Research. The Euphrates Basin (Istanbul: Archaeology and Art Publications, 2011), pp. vi + 282. 250 figures, map and chronological table. $85.00. ISBN 978-605-396-151-2.

This volume contains eight essays constituting up-to-date reports on ongoing excavations in southern Turkey. J. Cauvin†, O. Aurenche, M.-C. Cauvin and N. Balkan-Atli discuss the prepottery site of Cafer Höyük; K. Schmidt offers an appraisal of Göbekli Tepe; H. Hauptmann writes on the Urfa region; and B. Çelik on Şanlıurfa-Yeni Mahalle. M. Özbaşaran and G. Duru look at Akarçay Tepe; M. Özdoğan examines Mezraa-Teleilat; N. Karul adds an addendum on the same site, while G. Willcox and M. Savard examine botanical evidence in the context of the beginnings of agriculture in south-east Turkey. Turkey tends to lie on the periphery of consciousness for specialists from further south, but recent discoveries there are revolutionizing our understanding of the neolithic throughout the ancient Near East, with implications for other areas throughout the region.

N. Wyatt

Patrich, Joseph, Studies in the Archaeology and History of Caesarea Maritima: Caput Judaeae, Metropolis Palaestinae (Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, 77; Leiden/Boston, MA: Brill, 2011), pp. xii + 341. 172 figures. €161.00/$221.00. ISBN 978-90-04-17511-2; ISSN 1871-6636.

This is a collection of previously published articles (except one). Several first appeared in Hebrew (though this may not be their first appearance in English). The original publication details of each article (in English, at least) are given on p. 3. The articles, now slightly modified and updated, are as follows: the urban space of Herodian Caesarea; m. Ohalot 18.10(9) and t. Ahilot 18.13 and the topographical demarcations in the urban space of Caesarea; the proclamation of Caesarea as a Roman colony (first English version of this article); urban space in Caesarea in late antiquity; several aspects of commerce and economy in late antique Caesarea (not previously published); the archaeological evidence for the transition period (to Muslim rule) from the southwest zone of Caesarea; Herod's hippodrome/stadium at Caesarea and the games in it; the praetoria (govenors' residences) at Caesarea; warehouses and granaries in Caesarea; a chapel of St Paul at Caesarea; four Christian objects (a eulogia bread stamp, a St Menas ampulla, an ampulla depicting a stylite saint, a silver spoon) from Caesarea; the urban context of the Acts of the Martyrs of Caesarea. The volume is completed by a bibliography, indexes and 172 illustrations. An important volume for Caesarea in late antiquity.

L.L. Grabbe

Rebiger, Bill and Peter Schäfer (eds.), Sefer ha-Razim. II. Einleitung, Übersetzung und Kommentar (TSAJ, 132; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2009), pp. xii + 334. €94.00. ISBN 978-3-16-149956-2.

The first volume of this new edition published the full manuscript evidence for this ancient Hebrew magical handbook and was reviewed here two years ago (B.L. 2010, p. 44). The second volume, under review here, provides us with introductory material, translations and commentary. Sefer ha-Razim survives in two recensions, the first a more original text from late antiquity, sharing much of the thought world of the Greek magical papyri and presumably roughly contemporary with them, and the second a somewhat later and abbreviated reworking of the first. The introduction provides us with a thorough account of key critical issues for both recensions (date and provenance, text types, translations into other languages and redactions into later works, contents, etc.), a history of research, an analysis of text-critical and redactional issues, and an account of the reception of the texts from Geonic-era Judaism to esoteric Jewish and Christian traditions in early modernity. The base translation is of manuscript M738, the oldest and best complete manuscript of both recensions. Variants from the other manuscripts are given in extensive notes. The commentaries to both recensions provide detailed philological analysis and literary background. A new critical reconstruction of the text along the lines of Margalioth's is still desirable, although the text is so corrupt and the best manuscripts so fragmentary that the exact wording of the Vorlage will often remain in doubt. But these two volumes now equip scholars with a meticulous presentation and analysis of all the evidence needed to work with this remarkable ancient document.

J.R. Davila

Rollston, Christopher A., Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel: Epigraphic Evidence from the Iron Age (Archaeology and Biblical Studies, 11; Atlanta, GA: SBL, 2010), pp. xx + 171. Numerous figures. $21.95. ISBN 978-1-58983-107-0.

This book aims to provide two things: an introduction to Hebrew epigraphy and a sustained argument for the existence of a formal and standardized scribal education in ancient Israel. The first, implicit, aim is fulfilled by the first chapters, which include a short overview of the history of the alphabet and of the available genres of inscriptions (such as monumental inscriptions, administrative letters, etc.), providing examples of each kind. R. then moves smoothly to his second and explicit objective by situating the available information for ancient Israelite scribes and schooling in their ANE context, before pointing toward the diachronic divergence and synchronic uniformity of Palaeo-Hebrew (somewhat ambiguously, R. uses the term ‘Old Hebrew’). This indicates that it is reasonable to assume that some form of a standardized scribal education existed in ancient Israel. R.'s two main objectives are framed by a third: a discussion in the first and last chapters of the importance of ascertaining the provenance of inscriptions as part of their interpretation. For this, R. suggests a five-fold classification (pp. 143–44): ‘(1) Modern Forgery, (2) Probable Modern Forgery, (3) Possible Modern Forgery, (4) Probable Ancient, (5) Ancient’. It is to be welcomed that R. argues for the considered use of inscriptions from the antiquities market after carefully examining whether they are likely to be ancient; he also admits that modern forgers are capable of producing very good results, which means that caution is necessary. The book is successful in its central argument and there can be little doubt that Israelite scribes learned their craft from other scribes in a standardized manner. The book also provides a useful introduction to Northwest Semitic epigraphy for students; however, it would have been useful if images of the individual characters of which he discusses the forms and developments had accompanied the discussions. I warmly recommend this book and expect that it will find its way onto many a reading list.

J. Stökl

Simpson, Elizabeth, The Gordion Wooden Objects. I. The Furniture from Tumulus MM (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, 32; 2 vols.; Leiden/Boston, MA: Brill, 2010), pp. xl + 285, numerous figures (vol. 1), pp. xxvi + 16 colour plates, 99 figures, 158 plates and CD of figures (vol. 2). €250.00/$373.00 (set). ISBN 978-90-04-16539-7 (set); ISSN 1566-2055.

This generously illustrated double-volume work treats in detail the wooden artefacts recovered from the largest royal tomb at Gordion—whose occupant has been popularly (though uncertainly) identified as Midas (hence ‘Tumulus MM’, the ‘Midas Mound’)—excavated in 1957. The workmanship and beauty of the contents are as startling as the artefacts of the tomb of Tutankhamun, though evidently not everything this pseudo-Midas touched turned to gold! The study falls into two parts. Part 1 (chs. 1 and 2) describes the original excavation and the initial interpretation of the materials. Part 2 is primarily a catalogue of the finds (chs. 3 to 8), going through the various items, finishing with a discussion of their implications—the several tables and associated vessels, for instance, providing evidence of the funeral feast and even of the menu—and considering problems of dating as well as making comparisons with known practices of the region from Hittite times. This final discussion will probably be of most interest to B.L. readers as comparative material, in view of current interest in matters funerological and mortuary in recent publications. Nine appendixes detail various technical matters in the study of the wood and provide a concordance of the finds.

N. Wyatt

Steiner, Georg, Smiths and Prophets: The Curse of Cain on History (Cambria: Renetius, 2010), pp. xv + 200. N.p. ISBN 978-1-4537-2432-3.

The central subject of this book is the interpretation of examples of rock art discovered at sites in three main areas of the north-western Negev and its symbolism. The discussion relates to biblical events and traditions throughout; but as he develops his thesis S. also engages with the myths and beliefs of populations across a wider geographic area during many historic time periods. The claim that pastoral nomads in the Negev desert lived side-by-side with itinerant coppersmiths underlies his argument; and thus the role and significance of the biblical Kenites are threads that run through the chapters. S. presumes that readers will have some familiarity with all the subjects that are discussed. However, it is probable that, like me, most people will not feel competent across the range of disciplines on which he draws, including archaeology, anthropology and philosophy as well as Hebrew Bible and religious studies. Sadly, readers are not helped by the dense presentation and small font size in this publication. Some of the tables are illegible and the monochrome illustrations frequently lack adequate definition of the details they are supposed to reveal. Nonetheless it is worth making an effort to engage with this study as each short chapter contains a wealth of information and insights developed from a wide-ranging perspective. I expect I shall return to my shelf to consult it on many occasions.

J.E. Tollington

Taylor, Joan E. (ed.), Strata: Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, vol. 28 (London: The Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, 2010), pp. 220. Numerous figures and illustrations. £20.00 p.a. ISSN 2042-7867.

This issue of Strata contains five research articles. Ram Gophna, Yetzhak Paz and Itamar Taxel contribute on ‘Al-Maghar—An Early Bronze Age Walled Town in the Lower Soreq Valley and the EB IB-II Sequence in the Central Coastal Plain of Israel’. Yosef Garfinkel, Saar Ganor and Michael Hasel evaluate ‘The Contribution of Khirbet Qeiyafa to our Understanding of the Iron Age Period’. Amos Kloner explores ‘Amphorae and Urns as Grave Markers in Idumaea, Judaea, and Nabataea’ (originally published in Hebrew in the Festschrift for Yoram Tsafrir [Jerusalem, 2009]). Egon H.E. Lass reports the flotation results for seven archaeological sites from the Southern Levant. Einat Ambar-Armon, Amos Kloner and Ian Stern focus on ‘Oil Lamps on Kernos Vessels from Maresha’ from the Persian and Hellenistic periods that may have been used for cultic mystery rites. Following these research articles, Shimon Dar presents an archaeological memoir on ‘The Search for Scrolls in the Judean Desert Caves in the Years 1950–1960’, containing previously unpublished photographs. The volume furthermore contains eight book reviews, an obituary for Hanan Eshel, special thanks for Hugh Williamson and Ashley Jones, and archaeological ‘Reports from Jerusalem’ by Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg; these latter include notes on the first first-century house from Nazareth as well as Canaanite and Iron-Age walls in Jerusalem. Strata continues to provide high-quality contributions on the archaeology of the Southern Levant.

D. Markl SJ

Taylor, Joan E. (ed.), Strata: Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, vol. 29 (London: The Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, 2011), pp. 208. Numerous figures and illustrations. £20.00 p.a. ISSN 2042-7867.

The volume begins with three articles giving commemorative reviews of 50 years of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society—Israeli archaeology; achievements and the current stage of research (A. Mazar); coins of ancient Israel: discoveries of the last 50 years (I. Shachar); 60 years of Qumran archaeology (D. Mizzi). Other articles are on rural aspects of the urban settlement system in south-western Canaan during the Early Bronze III (R. Gophna and Y. Paz); spheres of production, distribution and consumption of the Late Iron Age southern Transjordan-Negev pottery (J. Manuel Tebes); flotation procedures in the Southern Levant, part II (E.H.E. Lass); a forgotten diary and photograph collection as records for the historical and archaeological study of Israel and Transjordan (B. Wagemakers). There are nearly 40 pages of book reviews, as well as summaries of lectures and reports from Jerusalem.

L.L. Grabbe

Ulrich, Eugene and Peter W. Flint, Qumran Cave 1. II. The Isaiah Scrolls, vol. 1, Plates and Transcriptions; vol. 2, Introductions, Commentary, and Textual Variants (DJD, 32; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2010), pp. xxviii + 151 including 84 plates (vol. 1), xviii + 260 (vol. 2). £100.00 (vol. 1), £80.00 (vol. 2), £160.00 (2-volume set). ISBN 978-0-19-956666-2 (vol. 1), 978-0-19-956667-9 (vol. 2), 978-0-19-926302-8 (2-volume set).

Some 60 years after the official series of scholarly editions of the Judaean Desert manuscripts began to appear, the series is now complete with this full critical edition of the two Isaiah scrolls from Qumran Cave 1, the ‘Great Isaiah Scroll’ (1QIsa^a) and the ‘Hebrew University Isaiah Scroll’ (1QIsa^b or 1Q8). In chronological terms this ultimate DJD issue is the 40th volume to appear, though it takes its place as vol. 32 in the formal catalogue sequence, and it is published in two separately bound parts: Part 1 contains the photographic plates (with the majestic 54 columns of 1QIsa^a presented in colour and the 20 plates comprising the more fragmentary 1QIsa^b appearing in black and white, plus a further 10 plates illustrating various aspects of these scrolls) and the transcriptions (set out on pages facing the plates for easy comparison), while Part 2 contains introductions describing the salient features of the scrolls, notes on palaeographically difficult readings and problems in the manuscripts, and a comprehensive list of the textual variants compared with other known Hebrew texts. The two parts are available for independent purchase if desired, but when deployed together their separately bound nature allows one to consult a plate, its transcription and the notes on the readings all spread across one's desk in a single grand synoptic arrangement. Although facsimile editions and preliminary transcriptions of these two fundamentally important Qumran scrolls have long been available, the appearance now of DJD-style critical editions of them as the crowning volume of the series is a matter for unbridled celebration.

J. Jarick

Way, Kenneth C., Donkeys in the Biblical World: Ceremony and Symbol (History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant, 2; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011), pp. xvi + 272. $49.50. ISBN 978-1-57506-213-6.

A revised doctoral dissertation, this is the first systematic examination of textual and archaeological evidence dealing with the ceremonial and symbolic significance of donkeys. Donkeys in the Bible share 10 of 13 traits or associations found in other textual evidence from the ancient Near East; the three not attested are a large appetite, a foul smell and being noisy. Two traits, slowness and loyalty, are unique to the Bible. The remains of buried donkeys found in the archaeological record in Egypt, Israel-Palestine, Syria and Iraq, from the Early Bronze period until the Iron I period, show three contexts: foundation deposits, ritual burials as gifts to gods, and burial next to human tombs, probably as a grave good. The latter two uses are found in texts. This monograph is a useful collection of the available evidence about donkeys known as of spring 2011. The book offers no new insights really and has underestimated the impact of W.F. Albright's paradigm of Abraham as a Middle Bronze donkey caravaneer on the interpretation of the donkey burials from the Middle Bronze period in Egypt. Nevertheless, it will be of use to OT and NT scholars interested in kingship rituals, providing specific illustrations and texts to flesh out classroom lectures or exercises.

D. Edelman

Yasur-Landau, Assaf, Jennie R. Ebeling and Laura B. Mazow (eds.), Household Archaeology in Ancient Israel and Beyond (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, 50; Leiden/Boston, MA: Brill, 2011), pp. xxvi + 452. €155.00/$212.00. ISBN 978-90-04-20625-0; ISSN 1566-2055.

This collection of 18 papers from a round-table session at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research opens with three methodologically focused essays by J.W. Hardin (‘Understanding Houses, Households, and the Levantine Archaeological Record’), R. Shahack-Gross (‘Household Archaeology in Israel: Looking into the Microscopic Record’), and N. Marom and S. Zuckerman (‘Applying On-Site Analysis of Faunal Assemblages from Domestic Contexts: A Case Study from the Lower City of Hazor’). Fifteen case studies focusing primarily on Canaanite, Israelite and Philistine domestic contexts in relevant Middle Bronze, Late Bronze, or Iron I contexts then follow: A. Yasur-Landau, ‘“The Kingdom Is his Brick Mould and the Dynasty Is his Wall”: The Impact of Urbanization on Middle Bronze Age Households in the Southern Levant’; N. Panitz-Cohen, ‘A Tale of Two Houses: The Role of Pottery in Reconstructing Household Wealth and Composition’; I. Shai, A.M. Maeir, Y. Gadot and J. Uziel, ‘Differentiating between Public and Residential Buildings: A Case Study from Late Bronze Age II Tell es-Safi/Gath’; D. Ilan, ‘Household Gleanings from Iron I Tel Dan’; Y. Gadot, ‘Houses and Households in Settlements along the Yarkon River, Israel, during the Iron Age I: Society, Economy, and Identity’; D. Ben-Shlomo, ‘Early Iron Age Domestic Material Culture in Philistia and an Eastern Mediterranean Koiné’, P. Stockhammer, ‘Household Archaeology in LHIIIC Tiryns’; A.J. Brody, ‘The Archaeology of the Extended Family: A Household Compound from Iron II Tell en-Nasbeh’; A. Faust, ‘Household Economies in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah’, L. Singer-Avitz, ‘Household Activities at Tel Beersheba’; V.R. Herrmann, ‘The Empire in the House, the House in the Empire: Toward a Household Archaeology Perspective on the Assyrian Empire in the Levant’, L.A. Hitchcock, ‘Cult Corners in the Aegean and the Levant’; B. Alpert Nakhai, ‘Varieties of Religious Expression in the Domestic Setting’; and M.D. Press, ‘A Problem of Definition: “Cultic” and “Domestic” Contexts in Philistia’. In biblical and ancient Levantine archaeology, questions relating to household archaeology have been overshadowed by questions relating to group identity, ethnicity, elites, and the historicity of events in the biblical texts. Most contributions helpfully highlight what traces of the past can be recovered from domestic contexts and the theoretical frameworks that can be used to contextualize and interpret the data.

D. Edelman

Zertal, Adam (ed.), El-Ahwat, A Fortified Site from the Early Iron Age Near Nahal ‘Iron, Israel: Excavations 1993–2000 (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, 24; Leiden/Boston, MA: Brill, 2012), pp. xx + 485. Numerous figures and tables. €125.00/$185.00. ISBN 978-90-04-17645-4; ISSN 1566-2055.

This is the first ‘complete and fortified city, dating exclusively to’ the Early Iron Age to be excavated in Israel. The site turns out to be unique in a number of its characteristics. The walls were built before the site was settled, and some of the architectural features resemble those from the Nuraghic culture of Bronze-Age Sardinia. This early led to the thesis (thenceforth tested as the excavations progressed) that the site was a settlement of the Skl/Tjeker and Shardana Sea Peoples. The settlement could be the result of Rameses III's resettlement of the defeated Sea Peoples as Egyptian mercenaries. This is confirmed by several considerations, including the nature of the settlement and the isolation of the site, the mixture of architectural features, and the Egyptian or Egyptian-influenced objects. Also found is the earliest iron furnace discovered in Canaan, a technology long hypothesized for the Philistines but so far unconfirmed by archaeology. Interestingly, the fortified settlement seems deliberately placed opposite ten Israelite Early Iron sites. No doubt this theory will be thoroughly debated, but this is a high-quality publication of an exciting site that adds significantly to our knowledge of Iron I.

L.L. Grabbe