Tel Aroer is an archaeological site in the Negev, located not far from Dimona. In the 1970s and ... more Tel Aroer is an archaeological site in the Negev, located not far from Dimona. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, under the direction of Avraham Biran, uncovered remains from the Iron Age and Roman periods. The Iron Age settlement is mentioned in the Bible (Josh. 15:21-32; I Sam. 30:26-28) and its rich corpus of finds include objects from Edom, Judah, Arabia and Assyria. Tel Aroer was a trade emporium on the caravan route that connected the land of Edom with the Mediterranean Sea and Judah with its desert frontier. For at least part of its existence it was under Assyrian control but under Judahite administration. Yifat Thareani has collected and made sense of a rich corpus of material culture which has lead her to intriguing conclusions about the multiethnic composition of Aroer's residents and the nature of Assyrian hegemony on its southern frontier in the later part of the Iron Age. Itamar Taxel has published a smaller assemblage of material from the Roman period which reflects Jewish-Nabatean interaction at the edges of Judea.
Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, 2006
A set of pottery vessels found at a number of sites in southern Palestine in strata dated to the ... more A set of pottery vessels found at a number of sites in southern Palestine in strata dated to the late phases of the Iron Age is thought by scholars to imitate Edomite and Assyrian pottery. The vessel group includes two sub-groups: pottery decorated in a distinctive style, thought to ...
... Five figurine fragments are attributed to Stratum II and represent the typical Judeanpillar f... more ... Five figurine fragments are attributed to Stratum II and represent the typical Judeanpillar figurine (both the moulded and the pinched type), solid horse and rider figurines with white and red stripes and zoomorphic vessels. Other ...
Patrimonial configurations are of high importance for evaluating periods that lacked the presence... more Patrimonial configurations are of high importance for evaluating periods that lacked the presence of an imperial rule in the ancient Near East and for understanding the creation of local territorial kingdoms. Hence, the patrimonial model can contribute significantly to one of the enduring debates in the archaeology and history of the southern Levant-the agency of indigenous societies in shaping the sociopolitical reality of the region in the early first millennium BCE (Iron Age IIa). A vibrant dialogue between archaeology and text stimulated the development of two scholarly paradigms concerning Tel Dan in the Iron Age IIa: a traditional biblical view that sees Dan as the cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom built by king Jeroboam and an alternative view arguing that Dan was initially built by Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus. A renewed study of the Iron Age IIa materials from Dan has raised an alternative explanation for the distinct character of the city by highlighting its autonomous nature. This new insight is supported by a longue durée testimony from late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries CE. It illustrates the key role that Dan and the northern Hula Valley played in formative periods when local semi-nomadic leadership negotiated loyalty and control with various, often rivalrous, political powers. This analysis sheds new light on the identity of the ruling authority and the social make-up of Dan at the eve of the Aramaean conquest.
Researches on Israel and Aram: Autonomy, Interdependence and Related Issues. Proceedings of the First Annual RIAB Center Conference, Leipzig, June 2016. , 2019
A vibrant dialogue between archaeology and text has stimulated the development of two scholarly p... more A vibrant dialogue between archaeology and text has stimulated the development of two scholarly paradigms concerning Tel Dan in the Iron Age IIa: a traditional biblical view that sees Dan as the cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom built by King Jeroboam in the 10th century BCE, and an alternative view arguing that Dan was initially built by Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus, during the 9th century BCE. The latter has been widely accepted by scholars using it as point of departure to their studies. A renewed study of the Iron Age II findings from Dan reveals various architectural, ceramic and objects that share parallels with Iron Age IIa sites in the Southern Levant implying that the eve of the Aramaean conquest Dan was inhabited by various groups of diverse ethnic origins. This fresh insight illustrates the distinctive character of the city, highlights its autonomous nature and sheds light on the key role that Dan and the northern Hula Valley played in formative periods, when local leadership negotiated loyalty and control with various – often rivalling – political powers.
Practiced by most ancient empires, forced movement of populations distinguished by ethnicity, cla... more Practiced by most ancient empires, forced movement of populations distinguished by ethnicity, class, religion or profession had far-reaching political, economic and cultural consequences on indigenous societies. Assyria’s expansion westward in the late eighth – early seventh centuries BCE not only enhanced forced population transfers from and into its conquered regions; it was a regular feature of its policy. Recent studies have emphasized the role of archaeology in illustrating diverse imperial strategies practiced by the Assyrians. By following the archaeological footprints of the massive movement of people and products across the imperial space, I will emphasize the agency of deported craftsmen in the empire-building act and its implications for the economy and social composition of local communities. The Iron Age II remains at Tel Dan are the focus of this paper.
The Assyrian conquest marked the beginning of a new political reality in the history of the terri... more The Assyrian conquest marked the beginning of a new political reality in the history of the territories to the west of the Euphrates River. One of the first regions in Palestine to meet the Assyrian rage was the Hula Valley, which presented the empire with a developed human settlement system but also with stark ecological disadvantages in the form of extensive marshlands. Tiglath Pileser III’s military campaigns to the region in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and brought an end to the existing Israelite political order. Echoes of the Assyrian invasion and subsequent mass deportations are found in both Assyrian texts (Summary Inscription 13:17-18) and the biblical record (II Kings 15:29; 16:9) and led scholars to emphasize the devastating nature of the Assyrian conquest, suggesting the area was razed and left as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE. Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent any future anti-Assyrian coalition. However, this was followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system and subjection to imperial direct rule. The archaeological evidence from Iron Age II Hula sites and neighboring territories suggests that the area was not depopulated following the Assyrian campaigns but that it was reorganized in a completely different manner, according to Assyrian conceptions. In this framework the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite administrative center at Hazor and nearby settlements in order to prevent any future opposition. While Hazor and other sites lay waste, the Assyrians built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth, in the spirit of the typical Assyrian architectural tradition. This decision demonstrates the imperial interest to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus via the Beth Shean and Hula Valleys, with a branch leading north through Chinnereth and Hazor up to the Lebanese Beqaʼ. However, the most striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan, the former cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom that was transformed by the Assyrians into a highly populated provincial city. A large public edifice was built at Dan, near the spring of Ein Leshem, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel (Dur-Sharrukin) at Khorsabad. Finally, several methodological observations concerning the ways in which Assyrian imperial control policy was exercised and manifested in the material culture are summarized in two main stages. The first stage is territorial expansion through an overwhelming military campaign aimed at specific targets said to have committed some sort of insult against the imperial power. This is followed by a second phase, comprising territorial consolidation which involves reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of centrally-located administrative and military hubs. To sum up, the imperial control strategy that the Assyrians exercised in their western border was a combination of ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests that would inspire imperial regimes in the region for generations to come.
Local response to strong political powers has always reflected mutual relationships between domin... more Local response to strong political powers has always reflected mutual relationships between dominator and dominated in the framework of which various degrees of domination, resistance and adaptation took place. When coping with indigenous oppositions, imperial authorities used an array of strategies in order to break down local spirit. The material expressions of these patterns can be inferred from both archaeological record and historical sources. Hostile relations between the Assyrian empire and the conquered people, who often found themselves deprived of their previous status, are known from diverse historical sources. Given that imperial royal and administrative records on the southern Levant are scanty and scattered, exploring instances of resistance in material terms, as a tool used to oppose a superior invading force, is of special importance. The following paper is an attempt to apply archaeology of resistance through the renewed study of the archaeological material from the Iron Age IIb-c city of Tel Dan. In this context a new evidence for the existence of a major destruction that seals the seventh century BCE at Dan will be presented. Supplemented by cross-cultural comparative material, this will provide the foundations for contextualizing paths of resistance in areas less historically documented.
Assyria's advent to the Southern Levant marked the beginning of a new political era. One of the f... more Assyria's advent to the Southern Levant marked the beginning of a new political era. One of the first regions to meet the Assyrian rage was the Hula Valley, which presented the empire with a developed settlement system along extensive marshlands. Tiglath Pileser III’s campaigns in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and terminated the previous Israelite order. Textual echoes of the Assyrian assault and deportations led scholars to assume that Assyria razed the area and left it as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE. Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent future opposition but this was soon followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system. Hence the area was not depopulated but was reorganized differently, according to imperial conceptions. While the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite center at Hazor and nearby settlements, they built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth in order to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus and the Lebanese Beqaʼ. A striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan that was transformed into a highly populated provincial center. An imperial edifice was built near the spring, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel at Khorsabad. Strategically, Assyria manifested its policy in two main stages: territorial expansion through use of an overwhelming military power aimed at specific targets said to have insulted the empire. This was followed by a territorial consolidation through reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of central administrative and military hubs. This kind of imperial strategy integrating ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests was determined to inspire the following imperial regimes that ruled the region for generations to come.
Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with w... more Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with water deficits, particularly in regions where anthropogenic demands exceed supply. This modern condition was also experienced by the people of ancient western Asia, where chronic water shortages were accentuated by recurrent droughts. However, human societies may react to climate change, particularly desiccation, in different ways depending on specific local conditions. Focusing on the biblical site of Tel Dan (present-day Israel), we show the effects of severe precipitation decline in an environment that was well watered and fertile even in times of drought. Such local niches of prosperity became attractive targets for predation when food resources became scarce in surrounding rain-fed areas. We propose that predation forced urban populations to either flee or adopt new subsistence strategies. Predation and abandon-ment, even if only partial, led to the poor maintenance of water networks in and around the city. Once stagnant water surrounded the area, water-borne disease proliferated. Our study shows how climate changes can disrupt social and political structures, cause water system management to collapse, and facilitate marshland expansion.
A collection of papers presented at the EABS in 2008, focusing on the history and archaeology of ... more A collection of papers presented at the EABS in 2008, focusing on the history and archaeology of Arabian trade and its role in the shaping of the society of the Near East.
The second half of the ninth century BCE had witnessed the initial expansion of the Damasean king... more The second half of the ninth century BCE had witnessed the initial expansion of the Damasean kingdom to the southern Levant. Headed by king Hazael, the Aramaean power defeated cities and local kingdoms, leaving on its way heavy destructions and fear. A broad scholarly consent is that these conquests marked an Aramaean political rule in northern Palestine.
While the Aramaean destructions are well documented, the nature of the Aramaeam political domination is far from being clear. The difficulty to isolate typical Aramaean material culture resulted in scholarly perceptions that confuse Aramaean political rule with ethnic groups – a problem that stemmed from the traditional image of the Aramaeans in the biblical and other historical sources.
Located at the crossroads of Assyrian, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres, IAII city of Dan reflects various cultural inputs and illustrates the complex relationships the city maintained with neighboring kingdoms. A renewed study of its archaeological remains has yielded a material culture assemblage that is crucial for understanding the complexity of the Aramaean presence in the city de facto, allowing a reexamination of current suppositions regarding the extent of the Aramaean involvement in constructing the IAII city of Dan.
Localization of the interaction between Israelite, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres resulted in a hybrid style in which various ethnic traditions were embedded. Being subjected to often changing geo-political conditions, Iron Age IIb Hula Valley was a region in which local elites and tribal groups demonstrated flexibility in their political loyalty aiming at promoting their own political and economic interests and at the same time preserved segments of their ethnic identity.
Creation of imperial space in antiquity was achieved by territorial expansion, followed by proces... more Creation of imperial space in antiquity was achieved by territorial expansion, followed by processes of consolidation. An administrative provincial system was set up with power in the hands of imperial officials, conquered towns were reorganised and strategically-located centres were built. Following the conquest and annexation of the Hula Valley by the Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BC, a new settlement system was put in place, with the Assyrians choosing Dan to fill the role of regional centre. Under Assyrian rule, the city experienced a rapid recovery, becoming even more populous. New residential quarters were constructed and an imperial edifice (Building T1-3/1) was built. Analysis of the architectural plan and material culture assemblage from Building T1-3/1 attests to the physical manifestations of Assyrian dominion in the provinces, especially a lifestyle reflecting “imperial enclaves.” This involved an awareness of the local environment, the selective use of cultural elements borrowed from the imperial core and other provincial centres, integrated with local materials, construction techniques and objects deriving from indigenous society.
The emergence of the Neo-Assyrian empire marked the beginning of a new phase in the political his... more The emergence of the Neo-Assyrian empire marked the beginning of a new phase in the political history of the Mediterranean. Being land-base rulers and deprived of their own access to the sea, in their expansion westward the Assyrian kings adopted a flexible policy in administering coastal territories. Extensive archaeological work in Iron Age IIb-c Palestine’s Coastal Plain and abundant historical sources indicate that Assyria saw the coast as a distinct geographical zone rather than as an integral part of the empire’s non-coastal heartland. In keeping with their policy elsewhere and in light of the prior geo-political partition of Palestine’s coast, the Assyrians divided it into several ecological sub-regions. Taking into account the unique geographical, political and economic settings of each region, the Assyrians practiced diverse direct and indirect control strategies: annexation, military control, subjugation and collaboration with imperial proxies. This analysis of the flexible policies that the Assyrians exercised on their southwestern border sheds new light on the ways in which the first true empire exerted power and administered life in its coastal territories.
Tel Aroer is an archaeological site in the Negev, located not far from Dimona. In the 1970s and ... more Tel Aroer is an archaeological site in the Negev, located not far from Dimona. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, under the direction of Avraham Biran, uncovered remains from the Iron Age and Roman periods. The Iron Age settlement is mentioned in the Bible (Josh. 15:21-32; I Sam. 30:26-28) and its rich corpus of finds include objects from Edom, Judah, Arabia and Assyria. Tel Aroer was a trade emporium on the caravan route that connected the land of Edom with the Mediterranean Sea and Judah with its desert frontier. For at least part of its existence it was under Assyrian control but under Judahite administration. Yifat Thareani has collected and made sense of a rich corpus of material culture which has lead her to intriguing conclusions about the multiethnic composition of Aroer's residents and the nature of Assyrian hegemony on its southern frontier in the later part of the Iron Age. Itamar Taxel has published a smaller assemblage of material from the Roman period which reflects Jewish-Nabatean interaction at the edges of Judea.
Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, 2006
A set of pottery vessels found at a number of sites in southern Palestine in strata dated to the ... more A set of pottery vessels found at a number of sites in southern Palestine in strata dated to the late phases of the Iron Age is thought by scholars to imitate Edomite and Assyrian pottery. The vessel group includes two sub-groups: pottery decorated in a distinctive style, thought to ...
... Five figurine fragments are attributed to Stratum II and represent the typical Judeanpillar f... more ... Five figurine fragments are attributed to Stratum II and represent the typical Judeanpillar figurine (both the moulded and the pinched type), solid horse and rider figurines with white and red stripes and zoomorphic vessels. Other ...
Patrimonial configurations are of high importance for evaluating periods that lacked the presence... more Patrimonial configurations are of high importance for evaluating periods that lacked the presence of an imperial rule in the ancient Near East and for understanding the creation of local territorial kingdoms. Hence, the patrimonial model can contribute significantly to one of the enduring debates in the archaeology and history of the southern Levant-the agency of indigenous societies in shaping the sociopolitical reality of the region in the early first millennium BCE (Iron Age IIa). A vibrant dialogue between archaeology and text stimulated the development of two scholarly paradigms concerning Tel Dan in the Iron Age IIa: a traditional biblical view that sees Dan as the cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom built by king Jeroboam and an alternative view arguing that Dan was initially built by Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus. A renewed study of the Iron Age IIa materials from Dan has raised an alternative explanation for the distinct character of the city by highlighting its autonomous nature. This new insight is supported by a longue durée testimony from late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries CE. It illustrates the key role that Dan and the northern Hula Valley played in formative periods when local semi-nomadic leadership negotiated loyalty and control with various, often rivalrous, political powers. This analysis sheds new light on the identity of the ruling authority and the social make-up of Dan at the eve of the Aramaean conquest.
Researches on Israel and Aram: Autonomy, Interdependence and Related Issues. Proceedings of the First Annual RIAB Center Conference, Leipzig, June 2016. , 2019
A vibrant dialogue between archaeology and text has stimulated the development of two scholarly p... more A vibrant dialogue between archaeology and text has stimulated the development of two scholarly paradigms concerning Tel Dan in the Iron Age IIa: a traditional biblical view that sees Dan as the cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom built by King Jeroboam in the 10th century BCE, and an alternative view arguing that Dan was initially built by Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus, during the 9th century BCE. The latter has been widely accepted by scholars using it as point of departure to their studies. A renewed study of the Iron Age II findings from Dan reveals various architectural, ceramic and objects that share parallels with Iron Age IIa sites in the Southern Levant implying that the eve of the Aramaean conquest Dan was inhabited by various groups of diverse ethnic origins. This fresh insight illustrates the distinctive character of the city, highlights its autonomous nature and sheds light on the key role that Dan and the northern Hula Valley played in formative periods, when local leadership negotiated loyalty and control with various – often rivalling – political powers.
Practiced by most ancient empires, forced movement of populations distinguished by ethnicity, cla... more Practiced by most ancient empires, forced movement of populations distinguished by ethnicity, class, religion or profession had far-reaching political, economic and cultural consequences on indigenous societies. Assyria’s expansion westward in the late eighth – early seventh centuries BCE not only enhanced forced population transfers from and into its conquered regions; it was a regular feature of its policy. Recent studies have emphasized the role of archaeology in illustrating diverse imperial strategies practiced by the Assyrians. By following the archaeological footprints of the massive movement of people and products across the imperial space, I will emphasize the agency of deported craftsmen in the empire-building act and its implications for the economy and social composition of local communities. The Iron Age II remains at Tel Dan are the focus of this paper.
The Assyrian conquest marked the beginning of a new political reality in the history of the terri... more The Assyrian conquest marked the beginning of a new political reality in the history of the territories to the west of the Euphrates River. One of the first regions in Palestine to meet the Assyrian rage was the Hula Valley, which presented the empire with a developed human settlement system but also with stark ecological disadvantages in the form of extensive marshlands. Tiglath Pileser III’s military campaigns to the region in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and brought an end to the existing Israelite political order. Echoes of the Assyrian invasion and subsequent mass deportations are found in both Assyrian texts (Summary Inscription 13:17-18) and the biblical record (II Kings 15:29; 16:9) and led scholars to emphasize the devastating nature of the Assyrian conquest, suggesting the area was razed and left as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE. Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent any future anti-Assyrian coalition. However, this was followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system and subjection to imperial direct rule. The archaeological evidence from Iron Age II Hula sites and neighboring territories suggests that the area was not depopulated following the Assyrian campaigns but that it was reorganized in a completely different manner, according to Assyrian conceptions. In this framework the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite administrative center at Hazor and nearby settlements in order to prevent any future opposition. While Hazor and other sites lay waste, the Assyrians built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth, in the spirit of the typical Assyrian architectural tradition. This decision demonstrates the imperial interest to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus via the Beth Shean and Hula Valleys, with a branch leading north through Chinnereth and Hazor up to the Lebanese Beqaʼ. However, the most striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan, the former cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom that was transformed by the Assyrians into a highly populated provincial city. A large public edifice was built at Dan, near the spring of Ein Leshem, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel (Dur-Sharrukin) at Khorsabad. Finally, several methodological observations concerning the ways in which Assyrian imperial control policy was exercised and manifested in the material culture are summarized in two main stages. The first stage is territorial expansion through an overwhelming military campaign aimed at specific targets said to have committed some sort of insult against the imperial power. This is followed by a second phase, comprising territorial consolidation which involves reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of centrally-located administrative and military hubs. To sum up, the imperial control strategy that the Assyrians exercised in their western border was a combination of ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests that would inspire imperial regimes in the region for generations to come.
Local response to strong political powers has always reflected mutual relationships between domin... more Local response to strong political powers has always reflected mutual relationships between dominator and dominated in the framework of which various degrees of domination, resistance and adaptation took place. When coping with indigenous oppositions, imperial authorities used an array of strategies in order to break down local spirit. The material expressions of these patterns can be inferred from both archaeological record and historical sources. Hostile relations between the Assyrian empire and the conquered people, who often found themselves deprived of their previous status, are known from diverse historical sources. Given that imperial royal and administrative records on the southern Levant are scanty and scattered, exploring instances of resistance in material terms, as a tool used to oppose a superior invading force, is of special importance. The following paper is an attempt to apply archaeology of resistance through the renewed study of the archaeological material from the Iron Age IIb-c city of Tel Dan. In this context a new evidence for the existence of a major destruction that seals the seventh century BCE at Dan will be presented. Supplemented by cross-cultural comparative material, this will provide the foundations for contextualizing paths of resistance in areas less historically documented.
Assyria's advent to the Southern Levant marked the beginning of a new political era. One of the f... more Assyria's advent to the Southern Levant marked the beginning of a new political era. One of the first regions to meet the Assyrian rage was the Hula Valley, which presented the empire with a developed settlement system along extensive marshlands. Tiglath Pileser III’s campaigns in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and terminated the previous Israelite order. Textual echoes of the Assyrian assault and deportations led scholars to assume that Assyria razed the area and left it as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE. Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent future opposition but this was soon followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system. Hence the area was not depopulated but was reorganized differently, according to imperial conceptions. While the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite center at Hazor and nearby settlements, they built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth in order to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus and the Lebanese Beqaʼ. A striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan that was transformed into a highly populated provincial center. An imperial edifice was built near the spring, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel at Khorsabad. Strategically, Assyria manifested its policy in two main stages: territorial expansion through use of an overwhelming military power aimed at specific targets said to have insulted the empire. This was followed by a territorial consolidation through reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of central administrative and military hubs. This kind of imperial strategy integrating ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests was determined to inspire the following imperial regimes that ruled the region for generations to come.
Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with w... more Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with water deficits, particularly in regions where anthropogenic demands exceed supply. This modern condition was also experienced by the people of ancient western Asia, where chronic water shortages were accentuated by recurrent droughts. However, human societies may react to climate change, particularly desiccation, in different ways depending on specific local conditions. Focusing on the biblical site of Tel Dan (present-day Israel), we show the effects of severe precipitation decline in an environment that was well watered and fertile even in times of drought. Such local niches of prosperity became attractive targets for predation when food resources became scarce in surrounding rain-fed areas. We propose that predation forced urban populations to either flee or adopt new subsistence strategies. Predation and abandon-ment, even if only partial, led to the poor maintenance of water networks in and around the city. Once stagnant water surrounded the area, water-borne disease proliferated. Our study shows how climate changes can disrupt social and political structures, cause water system management to collapse, and facilitate marshland expansion.
A collection of papers presented at the EABS in 2008, focusing on the history and archaeology of ... more A collection of papers presented at the EABS in 2008, focusing on the history and archaeology of Arabian trade and its role in the shaping of the society of the Near East.
The second half of the ninth century BCE had witnessed the initial expansion of the Damasean king... more The second half of the ninth century BCE had witnessed the initial expansion of the Damasean kingdom to the southern Levant. Headed by king Hazael, the Aramaean power defeated cities and local kingdoms, leaving on its way heavy destructions and fear. A broad scholarly consent is that these conquests marked an Aramaean political rule in northern Palestine.
While the Aramaean destructions are well documented, the nature of the Aramaeam political domination is far from being clear. The difficulty to isolate typical Aramaean material culture resulted in scholarly perceptions that confuse Aramaean political rule with ethnic groups – a problem that stemmed from the traditional image of the Aramaeans in the biblical and other historical sources.
Located at the crossroads of Assyrian, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres, IAII city of Dan reflects various cultural inputs and illustrates the complex relationships the city maintained with neighboring kingdoms. A renewed study of its archaeological remains has yielded a material culture assemblage that is crucial for understanding the complexity of the Aramaean presence in the city de facto, allowing a reexamination of current suppositions regarding the extent of the Aramaean involvement in constructing the IAII city of Dan.
Localization of the interaction between Israelite, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres resulted in a hybrid style in which various ethnic traditions were embedded. Being subjected to often changing geo-political conditions, Iron Age IIb Hula Valley was a region in which local elites and tribal groups demonstrated flexibility in their political loyalty aiming at promoting their own political and economic interests and at the same time preserved segments of their ethnic identity.
Creation of imperial space in antiquity was achieved by territorial expansion, followed by proces... more Creation of imperial space in antiquity was achieved by territorial expansion, followed by processes of consolidation. An administrative provincial system was set up with power in the hands of imperial officials, conquered towns were reorganised and strategically-located centres were built. Following the conquest and annexation of the Hula Valley by the Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BC, a new settlement system was put in place, with the Assyrians choosing Dan to fill the role of regional centre. Under Assyrian rule, the city experienced a rapid recovery, becoming even more populous. New residential quarters were constructed and an imperial edifice (Building T1-3/1) was built. Analysis of the architectural plan and material culture assemblage from Building T1-3/1 attests to the physical manifestations of Assyrian dominion in the provinces, especially a lifestyle reflecting “imperial enclaves.” This involved an awareness of the local environment, the selective use of cultural elements borrowed from the imperial core and other provincial centres, integrated with local materials, construction techniques and objects deriving from indigenous society.
The emergence of the Neo-Assyrian empire marked the beginning of a new phase in the political his... more The emergence of the Neo-Assyrian empire marked the beginning of a new phase in the political history of the Mediterranean. Being land-base rulers and deprived of their own access to the sea, in their expansion westward the Assyrian kings adopted a flexible policy in administering coastal territories. Extensive archaeological work in Iron Age IIb-c Palestine’s Coastal Plain and abundant historical sources indicate that Assyria saw the coast as a distinct geographical zone rather than as an integral part of the empire’s non-coastal heartland. In keeping with their policy elsewhere and in light of the prior geo-political partition of Palestine’s coast, the Assyrians divided it into several ecological sub-regions. Taking into account the unique geographical, political and economic settings of each region, the Assyrians practiced diverse direct and indirect control strategies: annexation, military control, subjugation and collaboration with imperial proxies. This analysis of the flexible policies that the Assyrians exercised on their southwestern border sheds new light on the ways in which the first true empire exerted power and administered life in its coastal territories.
Orient & Méditerranée, Laboratoire Mondes Sémitiques, UMR 8167, CNRS, Paris
Archaeological a... more Orient & Méditerranée, Laboratoire Mondes Sémitiques, UMR 8167, CNRS, Paris
Archaeological and Historical Round-table
May 3rd 2012, Maison Suger, 16-18 rue Suger 75006, Paris
The Arabian Trade: Between Image and Reality
The end of the second and the first millennia BCE have witnessed the emergence and development of several wide reaching trade systems. One of the most outstanding among these was the Arabian Trade Route that ran from Arabia to West Africa, the Southern Levant and the Mediterranean coasts.
The archaeological and the historical research of the Arabian trade involve various economic and political aspects regarding the southern Levantine and Arabian societies at the end of the Late Bronze and Iron Age. The last decades have seen the development of a vibrant discussion concerning the geographical, chronological, cultural, socio-political and economic aspects in these regions. While the renewed focus on the Arabian trade resulted in new data and publications, Arabia and the Levant are separately discussed and analyzed. The rift between the two regions is reflected in the current scholarly image of the Arabian trade that is a mixture of facts and biases, false discount previews and speculations.
The idea to establish a round-table derived from the notion that the study of the Arabian trade system requires a dialogue between scholars dealing with the subject in both Arabia and the Levant. Therefore, our main goal is to create a discourse between scholars dealing with the subject in order to create a link between the two regions.
The discussion will focus in the following subjects: Long distance trade systems (incense, copper) and major trade routes between Arabia and the Levant; Chronological discussion concerning the emergence and development of the Arabian trade; New perspectives regarding animals' and plants domestication; A study of the socio-political and economic spheres involved in the trade with an emphasis on the interaction between different political entities: empires, regional kingdoms and local social groups.
Organisors:
Michael Jasmin, Christian Robin, Yifat Thareani.
Orient & Méditerranée, Laboratoire Mondes Sémitiques, UMR 8167, CNRS, Paris
The Arabian Trade: Between Image and Reality
May 3 2012, 9:00-18:00
Maison Suger, 16-18 rue Suger 75006, Paris
9:00-13:00
Gathering and reception
Greetings by Prof. Christian Robin
First session, presiding: Dr. Yifat Thareani
Arabia and the Levant at the Turn of a Millennium (Twelfth-Ninth Centuries BCE )
1. Michael Jasmin: Routes and Camels: New roads and new transportation mode in the southern Levant at the end of the second millennium BCE
2. Israel Finkelstein: The Negev and Southern Transjordan in the Iron I-IIA: An Archaeological-Historical Reconstruction
11:00 Coffee-break
3. Juan Manuel Tebes: Trade before the Incense Trade: Interconnections between the NW Hejaz and the Southern Levant in the Late Second Millennium BCE
4. Christian Robin: Saba' et le commerce à longue distance
13:00 Lunch
14:30-18:00
Second session, presiding: Dr. Michael Jasmin
Between Empires, Kingdoms and Tribes: Arabia and the Levant under Imperial Rules (Eighth Century BCE Onwards)
5. Jérémie Schiettecatte: From "Ships of the Desert" to Sea-going Vessels: Chronology of the South Arabian Trade and Destination of the Products
6. Martin Makinson: The Northern Extension of the King's Road: Textual and Archaeological Evidence for South Arabian Trade in Inland Syria in the Iron Age
16:00 Coffee-break
7. Guillaume Charloux: Wâdi Sirhân and the "Eastern Road"
8. Yifat Thareani: The Empire and the Trade – The Iron Age II Arabian Trade in Image and in Reality
Closing discussion and Concluding remarks by Prof. Christian Robin
Uploads
Books by Yifat Thareani
Papers by Yifat Thareani
A renewed study of the Iron Age II findings from Dan reveals various architectural, ceramic and objects that share parallels with Iron Age IIa sites in the Southern Levant implying that the eve of the Aramaean conquest Dan was inhabited by various groups of diverse ethnic origins. This fresh insight illustrates the distinctive character of the city, highlights its autonomous nature and sheds light on the key role that Dan and the northern Hula Valley played in formative periods, when local leadership negotiated loyalty and control with various – often rivalling – political powers.
Assyria’s expansion westward in the late eighth – early seventh centuries BCE not only enhanced forced population transfers from and into its conquered regions; it was a regular feature of its policy. Recent studies have emphasized the role of archaeology in illustrating diverse imperial strategies practiced by the Assyrians. By following the archaeological footprints of the massive movement of people and products across the imperial space, I will emphasize the agency of deported craftsmen in the empire-building act and its implications for the economy and social composition of local communities. The Iron Age II remains at Tel Dan are the focus of this paper.
Tiglath Pileser III’s military campaigns to the region in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and brought an end to the existing Israelite political order. Echoes of the Assyrian invasion and subsequent mass deportations are found in both Assyrian texts (Summary Inscription 13:17-18) and the biblical record (II Kings 15:29; 16:9) and led scholars to emphasize the devastating nature of the Assyrian conquest, suggesting the area was razed and left as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE. Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent any future anti-Assyrian coalition. However, this was followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system and subjection to imperial direct rule.
The archaeological evidence from Iron Age II Hula sites and neighboring territories suggests that the area was not depopulated following the Assyrian campaigns but that it was reorganized in a completely different manner, according to Assyrian conceptions. In this framework the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite administrative center at Hazor and nearby settlements in order to prevent any future opposition. While Hazor and other sites lay waste, the Assyrians built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth, in the spirit of the typical Assyrian architectural tradition. This decision demonstrates the imperial interest to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus via the Beth Shean and Hula Valleys, with a branch leading north through Chinnereth and Hazor up to the Lebanese Beqaʼ. However, the most striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan, the former cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom that was transformed by the Assyrians into a highly populated provincial city. A large public edifice was built at Dan, near the spring of Ein Leshem, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel (Dur-Sharrukin) at Khorsabad.
Finally, several methodological observations concerning the ways in which Assyrian imperial control policy was exercised and manifested in the material culture are summarized in two main stages. The first stage is territorial expansion through an overwhelming military campaign aimed at specific targets said to have committed some sort of insult against the imperial power. This is followed by a second phase, comprising territorial consolidation which involves reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of centrally-located administrative and military hubs. To sum up, the imperial control strategy that the Assyrians exercised in their western border was a combination of ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests that would inspire imperial regimes in the region for generations to come.
Hostile relations between the Assyrian empire and the conquered people, who often found themselves deprived of their previous status, are known from diverse historical sources. Given that imperial royal and administrative records on the southern Levant are scanty and scattered, exploring instances of resistance in material terms, as a tool used to oppose a superior invading force, is of special importance. The following paper is an attempt to apply archaeology of resistance through the renewed study of the archaeological material from the Iron Age IIb-c city of Tel Dan. In this context a new evidence for the existence of a major destruction that seals the seventh century BCE at Dan will be presented. Supplemented by cross-cultural comparative material, this will provide the foundations for contextualizing paths of resistance in areas less historically documented.
Tiglath Pileser III’s campaigns in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and terminated the previous Israelite order. Textual echoes of the Assyrian assault and deportations led scholars to assume that Assyria razed the area and left it as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE.
Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent future opposition but this was soon followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system. Hence the area was not depopulated but was reorganized differently, according to imperial conceptions. While the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite center at Hazor and nearby settlements, they built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth in order to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus and the Lebanese Beqaʼ.
A striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan that was transformed into a highly populated provincial center. An imperial edifice was built near the spring, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel at Khorsabad.
Strategically, Assyria manifested its policy in two main stages: territorial expansion through use of an overwhelming military power aimed at specific targets said to have insulted the empire. This was followed by a territorial consolidation through reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of central administrative and military hubs. This kind of imperial strategy integrating ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests was determined to inspire the following imperial regimes that ruled the region for generations to come.
While the Aramaean destructions are well documented, the nature of the Aramaeam political domination is far from being clear. The difficulty to isolate typical Aramaean material culture resulted in scholarly perceptions that confuse Aramaean political rule with ethnic groups – a problem that stemmed from the traditional image of the Aramaeans in the biblical and other historical sources.
Located at the crossroads of Assyrian, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres,
IAII city of Dan reflects various cultural inputs and illustrates the complex relationships the city maintained with neighboring kingdoms. A renewed study of its archaeological remains has yielded a material culture assemblage that is crucial for understanding the complexity of the Aramaean presence in the city de facto, allowing a reexamination of current suppositions regarding the extent of the Aramaean involvement in constructing the IAII city of Dan.
Localization of the interaction between Israelite, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres resulted in a hybrid style in which various ethnic traditions were embedded. Being subjected to often changing geo-political conditions, Iron Age IIb Hula Valley was a region in which local elites and tribal groups demonstrated flexibility in their political loyalty aiming at promoting their own political and economic interests and at the same time preserved segments of their ethnic identity.
Following the conquest and annexation of the Hula Valley by the Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BC, a new settlement system was put in place, with the Assyrians choosing Dan to fill the role of regional centre. Under Assyrian rule, the city experienced a rapid recovery, becoming even more populous. New residential quarters were constructed and an imperial edifice (Building T1-3/1) was built.
Analysis of the architectural plan and material culture assemblage from Building T1-3/1 attests to the physical manifestations of Assyrian dominion in the provinces, especially a lifestyle reflecting “imperial enclaves.” This involved an awareness of the local environment, the selective use of cultural elements borrowed from the imperial core and other provincial centres, integrated with local materials, construction techniques and objects deriving from indigenous society.
Extensive archaeological work in Iron Age IIb-c Palestine’s Coastal Plain and abundant historical sources indicate that Assyria saw the coast as a distinct geographical zone rather than as an integral part of the empire’s non-coastal heartland. In keeping with their policy elsewhere and in light of the prior geo-political partition of Palestine’s coast, the Assyrians divided it into several ecological sub-regions. Taking into account the unique geographical, political and economic settings of each region, the Assyrians practiced diverse direct and indirect control strategies: annexation, military control, subjugation and collaboration with imperial proxies.
This analysis of the flexible policies that the Assyrians exercised on their southwestern border sheds new light on the ways in which the first true empire exerted power and administered life in its coastal territories.
A renewed study of the Iron Age II findings from Dan reveals various architectural, ceramic and objects that share parallels with Iron Age IIa sites in the Southern Levant implying that the eve of the Aramaean conquest Dan was inhabited by various groups of diverse ethnic origins. This fresh insight illustrates the distinctive character of the city, highlights its autonomous nature and sheds light on the key role that Dan and the northern Hula Valley played in formative periods, when local leadership negotiated loyalty and control with various – often rivalling – political powers.
Assyria’s expansion westward in the late eighth – early seventh centuries BCE not only enhanced forced population transfers from and into its conquered regions; it was a regular feature of its policy. Recent studies have emphasized the role of archaeology in illustrating diverse imperial strategies practiced by the Assyrians. By following the archaeological footprints of the massive movement of people and products across the imperial space, I will emphasize the agency of deported craftsmen in the empire-building act and its implications for the economy and social composition of local communities. The Iron Age II remains at Tel Dan are the focus of this paper.
Tiglath Pileser III’s military campaigns to the region in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and brought an end to the existing Israelite political order. Echoes of the Assyrian invasion and subsequent mass deportations are found in both Assyrian texts (Summary Inscription 13:17-18) and the biblical record (II Kings 15:29; 16:9) and led scholars to emphasize the devastating nature of the Assyrian conquest, suggesting the area was razed and left as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE. Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent any future anti-Assyrian coalition. However, this was followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system and subjection to imperial direct rule.
The archaeological evidence from Iron Age II Hula sites and neighboring territories suggests that the area was not depopulated following the Assyrian campaigns but that it was reorganized in a completely different manner, according to Assyrian conceptions. In this framework the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite administrative center at Hazor and nearby settlements in order to prevent any future opposition. While Hazor and other sites lay waste, the Assyrians built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth, in the spirit of the typical Assyrian architectural tradition. This decision demonstrates the imperial interest to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus via the Beth Shean and Hula Valleys, with a branch leading north through Chinnereth and Hazor up to the Lebanese Beqaʼ. However, the most striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan, the former cultic capital of the northern Israelite kingdom that was transformed by the Assyrians into a highly populated provincial city. A large public edifice was built at Dan, near the spring of Ein Leshem, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel (Dur-Sharrukin) at Khorsabad.
Finally, several methodological observations concerning the ways in which Assyrian imperial control policy was exercised and manifested in the material culture are summarized in two main stages. The first stage is territorial expansion through an overwhelming military campaign aimed at specific targets said to have committed some sort of insult against the imperial power. This is followed by a second phase, comprising territorial consolidation which involves reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of centrally-located administrative and military hubs. To sum up, the imperial control strategy that the Assyrians exercised in their western border was a combination of ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests that would inspire imperial regimes in the region for generations to come.
Hostile relations between the Assyrian empire and the conquered people, who often found themselves deprived of their previous status, are known from diverse historical sources. Given that imperial royal and administrative records on the southern Levant are scanty and scattered, exploring instances of resistance in material terms, as a tool used to oppose a superior invading force, is of special importance. The following paper is an attempt to apply archaeology of resistance through the renewed study of the archaeological material from the Iron Age IIb-c city of Tel Dan. In this context a new evidence for the existence of a major destruction that seals the seventh century BCE at Dan will be presented. Supplemented by cross-cultural comparative material, this will provide the foundations for contextualizing paths of resistance in areas less historically documented.
Tiglath Pileser III’s campaigns in 734-732 BCE devastated most local sites and terminated the previous Israelite order. Textual echoes of the Assyrian assault and deportations led scholars to assume that Assyria razed the area and left it as an “empty cell” throughout most of the seventh century BCE.
Indeed, an overwhelming use of power was exercised by the Assyrians in their attempt to put down local resistance and prevent future opposition but this was soon followed by integration into the Assyrian provincial system. Hence the area was not depopulated but was reorganized differently, according to imperial conceptions. While the Assyrians disempowered the former Israelite center at Hazor and nearby settlements, they built imperial edifices in two key positions: one at Ayyelet ha-Shaʻar and the other at Chinnereth in order to protect the land corridor leading to Damascus and the Lebanese Beqaʼ.
A striking evidence for the extent of the Assyrian involvement in the region comes from Tel Dan that was transformed into a highly populated provincial center. An imperial edifice was built near the spring, with its plan and material culture sharing parallels with Sargon II’s citadel at Khorsabad.
Strategically, Assyria manifested its policy in two main stages: territorial expansion through use of an overwhelming military power aimed at specific targets said to have insulted the empire. This was followed by a territorial consolidation through reconstruction and reordering of conquered towns and the creation of central administrative and military hubs. This kind of imperial strategy integrating ecological adaptation, political considerations and economic interests was determined to inspire the following imperial regimes that ruled the region for generations to come.
While the Aramaean destructions are well documented, the nature of the Aramaeam political domination is far from being clear. The difficulty to isolate typical Aramaean material culture resulted in scholarly perceptions that confuse Aramaean political rule with ethnic groups – a problem that stemmed from the traditional image of the Aramaeans in the biblical and other historical sources.
Located at the crossroads of Assyrian, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres,
IAII city of Dan reflects various cultural inputs and illustrates the complex relationships the city maintained with neighboring kingdoms. A renewed study of its archaeological remains has yielded a material culture assemblage that is crucial for understanding the complexity of the Aramaean presence in the city de facto, allowing a reexamination of current suppositions regarding the extent of the Aramaean involvement in constructing the IAII city of Dan.
Localization of the interaction between Israelite, Aramaean and Phoenician spheres resulted in a hybrid style in which various ethnic traditions were embedded. Being subjected to often changing geo-political conditions, Iron Age IIb Hula Valley was a region in which local elites and tribal groups demonstrated flexibility in their political loyalty aiming at promoting their own political and economic interests and at the same time preserved segments of their ethnic identity.
Following the conquest and annexation of the Hula Valley by the Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BC, a new settlement system was put in place, with the Assyrians choosing Dan to fill the role of regional centre. Under Assyrian rule, the city experienced a rapid recovery, becoming even more populous. New residential quarters were constructed and an imperial edifice (Building T1-3/1) was built.
Analysis of the architectural plan and material culture assemblage from Building T1-3/1 attests to the physical manifestations of Assyrian dominion in the provinces, especially a lifestyle reflecting “imperial enclaves.” This involved an awareness of the local environment, the selective use of cultural elements borrowed from the imperial core and other provincial centres, integrated with local materials, construction techniques and objects deriving from indigenous society.
Extensive archaeological work in Iron Age IIb-c Palestine’s Coastal Plain and abundant historical sources indicate that Assyria saw the coast as a distinct geographical zone rather than as an integral part of the empire’s non-coastal heartland. In keeping with their policy elsewhere and in light of the prior geo-political partition of Palestine’s coast, the Assyrians divided it into several ecological sub-regions. Taking into account the unique geographical, political and economic settings of each region, the Assyrians practiced diverse direct and indirect control strategies: annexation, military control, subjugation and collaboration with imperial proxies.
This analysis of the flexible policies that the Assyrians exercised on their southwestern border sheds new light on the ways in which the first true empire exerted power and administered life in its coastal territories.
Archaeological and Historical Round-table
May 3rd 2012, Maison Suger, 16-18 rue Suger 75006, Paris
The Arabian Trade: Between Image and Reality
The end of the second and the first millennia BCE have witnessed the emergence and development of several wide reaching trade systems. One of the most outstanding among these was the Arabian Trade Route that ran from Arabia to West Africa, the Southern Levant and the Mediterranean coasts.
The archaeological and the historical research of the Arabian trade involve various economic and political aspects regarding the southern Levantine and Arabian societies at the end of the Late Bronze and Iron Age. The last decades have seen the development of a vibrant discussion concerning the geographical, chronological, cultural, socio-political and economic aspects in these regions. While the renewed focus on the Arabian trade resulted in new data and publications, Arabia and the Levant are separately discussed and analyzed. The rift between the two regions is reflected in the current scholarly image of the Arabian trade that is a mixture of facts and biases, false discount previews and speculations.
The idea to establish a round-table derived from the notion that the study of the Arabian trade system requires a dialogue between scholars dealing with the subject in both Arabia and the Levant. Therefore, our main goal is to create a discourse between scholars dealing with the subject in order to create a link between the two regions.
The discussion will focus in the following subjects: Long distance trade systems (incense, copper) and major trade routes between Arabia and the Levant; Chronological discussion concerning the emergence and development of the Arabian trade; New perspectives regarding animals' and plants domestication; A study of the socio-political and economic spheres involved in the trade with an emphasis on the interaction between different political entities: empires, regional kingdoms and local social groups.
Organisors:
Michael Jasmin, Christian Robin, Yifat Thareani.
Orient & Méditerranée, Laboratoire Mondes Sémitiques, UMR 8167, CNRS, Paris
The Arabian Trade: Between Image and Reality
May 3 2012, 9:00-18:00
Maison Suger, 16-18 rue Suger 75006, Paris
9:00-13:00
Gathering and reception
Greetings by Prof. Christian Robin
First session, presiding: Dr. Yifat Thareani
Arabia and the Levant at the Turn of a Millennium (Twelfth-Ninth Centuries BCE )
1. Michael Jasmin: Routes and Camels: New roads and new transportation mode in the southern Levant at the end of the second millennium BCE
2. Israel Finkelstein: The Negev and Southern Transjordan in the Iron I-IIA: An Archaeological-Historical Reconstruction
11:00 Coffee-break
3. Juan Manuel Tebes: Trade before the Incense Trade: Interconnections between the NW Hejaz and the Southern Levant in the Late Second Millennium BCE
4. Christian Robin: Saba' et le commerce à longue distance
13:00 Lunch
14:30-18:00
Second session, presiding: Dr. Michael Jasmin
Between Empires, Kingdoms and Tribes: Arabia and the Levant under Imperial Rules (Eighth Century BCE Onwards)
5. Jérémie Schiettecatte: From "Ships of the Desert" to Sea-going Vessels: Chronology of the South Arabian Trade and Destination of the Products
6. Martin Makinson: The Northern Extension of the King's Road: Textual and Archaeological Evidence for South Arabian Trade in Inland Syria in the Iron Age
16:00 Coffee-break
7. Guillaume Charloux: Wâdi Sirhân and the "Eastern Road"
8. Yifat Thareani: The Empire and the Trade – The Iron Age II Arabian Trade in Image and in Reality
Closing discussion and Concluding remarks by Prof. Christian Robin