Over the past several years, a number of Levantine archaeologists working on the Iron Age (ca. 1200 - 586 BCE) have begun to employ high precision radiocarbon dating to solve a wide range of chronological, historical and social issues. This is revolutionizing traditional 'Biblical Archaeology' which over the past several decades has been viewed as parochial. The incorporation of high precision radiocarbon dating methods and statistical modeling into the archaeological 'tool box' of the 'Biblical archaeologist' is revolutionizing the field. In fact, Biblical archaeology is leading the field of world archaeology in how archaeologists must deal with history, historical texts, and material culture. A great deal of debate has been generated by this new research direction in southern Levantine (Israel, Jordan, Palestinian territories, southern Lebanon & Syria, the Sinai) archaeology. This book takes the pulse of how archaeology, science-based research methods and the Bible interface at the beginning of the 21st century. The book brings together leading archaeologists, Egyptologists, Biblical scholars, radiocarbon dating specialists and other researchers who have embraced radiocarbon dating as a significant tool to test hypotheses concerning the historicity of aspects of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible (hereafter, simply the Bible). Although this is an academic book that will be of great interest to Biblical scholars, archaeologists, Egyptologists, and radiocarbon specialists, the general public will also be interested because of the important issues concerning the historicity of the Bible tackled in this volume. As this book "raises the bar" in how archaeologists tackle historical issues as manifest in the interplay between the archaeological record and text, its interest will go well beyond the 'Holy Land'.
Contents
I. Introduction to the Problems
1) Introduction: Radiocarbon Dating and the Iron Age of the Southern Levant Thomas E. Levy and Thomas Higham
2) The Debate over the Chronology of the Iron Age in the Southern Levant Amihai Mazar
3) The Low Chronology Update Israel Finkelstein
4) Shishak, King of Egypt A. J. Shortland
II. Some Methodological Issues
5) Improving the Resolution of Radiocarbon Dating by Statistical Analysis Christopher Bronk Ramsey
6) The Early Iron Age Dating Project Ilan Sharon, Ayelet Gilboa, Elisabetta Boaretto and A.J. Timothy Jull
III. Around the Eastern Mediterranean in the Iron Age
7) Radiocarbon Calibration in the East Mediterranean Region Sturt W. Manning, Bernd Kromer, Sahra Talamo, Michael Friedrich, Peter Ian Kuniholm and Maryanne W. Newton
8) A Dendrochronological 14C Wiggle-match for the Early Iron Age of North Greece Maryanne W. Newton, Peter Ian Kuniholm, and Kenneth A. Wardle
9) High Precision Dating and Archaeological Chronologies Sue Sherratt
IV. Jordan in the Iron Age
10) Lowland Edom and the High and Low Chronologies Thomas E. Levy, Mohammad Najjar, Johannes van der Plicht, Thomas Higham, and Hendrik J. Bruins
11) Radiocarbon dating of the Khirbat-en Nahas site (Jordan) and Bayesian Modelling of the Results Thomas Higham, Johannes van der Plicht, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Hendrik J. Bruins, Mark Robinson, and Thomas E. Levy
12) Mesha, the Mishor and the Chronology of Iron Age daba?MaTimothy P. Harrison and Celeste Barlow
V. Israel in the Iron Age
13) Ladder of Time at Tel Rehov Amihai Mazar, Hendrik J. Bruins, Nava Panitz-Cohen and Johannes van der Plicht
14) Quality Control of Groningen 14C results from Tel Rehov Johannes van der Plicht and Hendrik J.Bruins
15) The Groningen Radiocarbon Series from Tel RehovHendrik J. Bruins, Johannes van der Plicht, Amihai Mazar, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Sturt W. Manning
16)14C Results from Megiddo, Tel Dor, Tel Rehov and Tel Hadar Israel Finkelstein and Eli Piasetzky
17) High or Low: Megiddo and Rehov
Contents
I. Introduction to the Problems
1) Introduction: Radiocarbon Dating and the Iron Age of the Southern Levant Thomas E. Levy and Thomas Higham
2) The Debate over the Chronology of the Iron Age in the Southern Levant Amihai Mazar
3) The Low Chronology Update Israel Finkelstein
4) Shishak, King of Egypt A. J. Shortland
II. Some Methodological Issues
5) Improving the Resolution of Radiocarbon Dating by Statistical Analysis Christopher Bronk Ramsey
6) The Early Iron Age Dating Project Ilan Sharon, Ayelet Gilboa, Elisabetta Boaretto and A.J. Timothy Jull
III. Around the Eastern Mediterranean in the Iron Age
7) Radiocarbon Calibration in the East Mediterranean Region Sturt W. Manning, Bernd Kromer, Sahra Talamo, Michael Friedrich, Peter Ian Kuniholm and Maryanne W. Newton
8) A Dendrochronological 14C Wiggle-match for the Early Iron Age of North Greece Maryanne W. Newton, Peter Ian Kuniholm, and Kenneth A. Wardle
9) High Precision Dating and Archaeological Chronologies Sue Sherratt
IV. Jordan in the Iron Age
10) Lowland Edom and the High and Low Chronologies Thomas E. Levy, Mohammad Najjar, Johannes van der Plicht, Thomas Higham, and Hendrik J. Bruins
11) Radiocarbon dating of the Khirbat-en Nahas site (Jordan) and Bayesian Modelling of the Results Thomas Higham, Johannes van der Plicht, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Hendrik J. Bruins, Mark Robinson, and Thomas E. Levy
12) Mesha, the Mishor and the Chronology of Iron Age daba?MaTimothy P. Harrison and Celeste Barlow
V. Israel in the Iron Age
13) Ladder of Time at Tel Rehov Amihai Mazar, Hendrik J. Bruins, Nava Panitz-Cohen and Johannes van der Plicht
14) Quality Control of Groningen 14C results from Tel Rehov Johannes van der Plicht and Hendrik J.Bruins
15) The Groningen Radiocarbon Series from Tel RehovHendrik J. Bruins, Johannes van der Plicht, Amihai Mazar, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Sturt W. Manning
16)14C Results from Megiddo, Tel Dor, Tel Rehov and Tel Hadar Israel Finkelstein and Eli Piasetzky
17) High or Low: Megiddo and Rehov
