Pots, people, and politics: a reconsideration of the role of ceramics in reconstructions of the Iron Age Northern Levant

Abstract

This thesis aims to reconsider current reconstructions of the Iron Age Northern Levant and the role that ceramics studies have played in these interpretations. This study begins with an assessment of the use of the historical narrative in current interpretations. This historical interpretative framework has produced a broad perspective on Iron Age society, at the expense of localised behaviours. For this reason, the present study attempts to engage with Iron Age material culture, more specifically pottery, and consider its role within past societies beyond the broad socio-political histories depicted in texts. This study presents a regional ceramic typology for the Iron Age (including the Persian period) and undertakes an analysis of the distribution patterns of this typology across the Northern Levant. An alternative interpretation of the ceramic data is offered, before being compared with the current historical model. This alternative reconstruction focuses on theories of practice, and foodways, whilst appreciating the dynamic manner by which material culture is used to constantly negotiate and consolidate social structures. This thesis will determine the compatibility of archaeology and text, and make some final recommendations for their correlation.