Syria-Palestine in the Late Bronze Age: An Anthropology of Politics and Power

281 Pages·2016·2.3 MB·English

by  Emanuel Pfoh

SYRIA-PALESTINE IN THE LATE BRONZE
AGE
Syria-Palestine in the Late Bronze Age presents an explicitly anthropological
perspective on politics and social relationships. An anthropological reading of
the textual and epigraphic remains of the time allows us to see how power was
constructed and political subordination was practised and expressed. Syria-
Palestine in the Late Bronze Age identifies a particular political ontology, native
to ancient Syro-Palestinian societies, which informs and constitutes their social
worlds. This political ontology, based on patronage relationships, provides a way
of understanding the political culture and the social dynamics of ancient
Levantine peoples. It also illuminates the historical processes taking place in the
region, processes based on patrimonial social structures and articulated through
patron-client bonds.
Emanuel Pfoh is a Researcher at the National Research Council (CONICET)
and teaches in the Department of History of the National University of La Plata,
Argentina. He is the author of The Emergence of Israel in Ancient Palestine:
Historical and Anthropological Perspectives (2009) and The Politics of Israel’s
Past: The Bible, Archaeology and Nation-Building (co-edited with K.W.
Whitelam, 2013), among other studies.
COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR
General Editors: Ingrid Hjelm and Thomas L. Thompson
both at the University of Copenhagen
Editors: Niels Peter Lemche and Mogens Müller,
both at the University of Copenhagen
Language Revision Editor: James West
at the Quartz Hill School of Theology
Available:
JAPHETH BEN ALI’S BOOK OF JEREMIAH
Joshua A. Sabih
THE EMERGENCE OF ISRAEL IN ANCIENT PALESTINE
Emanuel Pfoh
ORIGIN MYTHS AND HOLY PLACES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Lukasz Niesiowski-Spanò
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES I John Van Seters
ARGONAUTS OF THE DESERT
Philippe Wajdenbaum
THE EXPRESSION ‘SON OF MAN’ AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF
CHRISTOLOGY
Mogens Müller
BIBLICAL STUDIES AND THE FAILURE OF HISTORY
Niels Peter Lemche
BIBLICAL NARRATIVE AND PALESTINE’S HISTORY
Thomas L. Thompson
‘IS THIS NOT THE CARPENTER?’
Edited by Thomas L. Thompson and Thomas S. Verenna
THE BIBLE AND HELLENISM
Edited by Thomas L. Thompson and Philippe Wajdenbaum
RETHINKING BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP
Philip R. Davies
REPRESENTING ZION
Frederik Poulsen
BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION BEYOND
HISTORICITY
Edited by Thomas L. Thompson and Ingrid Hjelm
Forthcoming:
HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE BIBLE FORTY YEARS AFTER
“HISTORICITY”
Edited by Ingrid Hjelm and Thomas L. Thompson
THE JUDAEOKARAITE RECEPTION OF THE HEBREW BIBLE
Joshua A. Sabih
SYRIA-PALESTINE IN
THE LATE BRONZE
AGE
An anthropology of politics and power
Emanuel Pfoh
First published 2016
by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Emanuel Pfoh
The right of Emanuel Pfoh to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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ISBN: 978-1-844-65784-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-67881-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
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PARA EVA
CONTENTS
List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Introduction
PART I
Syria-Palestine during the Late Bronze Age11
1 An overview of political history (c. 1550–1150 BCE)
2 ‘International’ diplomacy during the Late Bronze Age
3 Alliances and exchanges
PART II
Political systems in Syria-Palestine89
4 Socio-politics of Syria-Palestine (I): analytical concepts
5 Socio-politics of Syria-Palestine (II): interpretative models
PART III
Patrons and clients in the Levant121
6 Patronage relationships: a theoretical overview
7 Patrimon ialism in the Late Bronze Age
8 Political relations in Late Bronze Age Syria-Palestine
Conclusions
Bibliography
Index of textual references
Index of authors
Index of subjects
ILLUSTRATIONS
Map 1 Egyptian administrative rule over Syria-Palestine during the Amarna
period
Figure 5.1 The internal social structure of Ugarit
Figure 8.1 The divine and human hierarchy according to the texts from Ugarit