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Israel's Ethnogenesis: Settlement, Interaction, Expansion and Resistance
Winner (for best semi-popular book) of the 2008 Irene Levi-Sala Prize for publications on the archaeology of Israel. The emergence of Israel in Canaan is a central topic in biblical/Syro-Palestinian archaeology. However, the archaeology of ancient Israel has rarely been subject to in-depth anthropological analysis until now. 'Israel's Ethnogenesis' offers an anthropological framework to the archaeological data and textual sources. Examining archaeological finds from thousands of excavations, the book presents a theoretical approach to Israel's ethnogenesis that draws on the work of recent critics. The book examines Israelite ethnicity - ranging from meat consumption, decorated and imported pottery, Israelite houses, circumcision, and hierarchy - and traces the complex ethnic negotiations that accompanied Israel's ethnogenesis. Israel's Ethnogenesis is unique in its contribution to the archaeology of ethnicity, offering an anthropological study that will be of interest to students of history, Israelite culture and religion, and the evolution of ethnic groups.
- GenresHistory
306 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 18, 2017
I read this for one of my online courses. It was an interesting book that did get over my head a few times in talking about the possible influences involved in the formation of the nation of Israel. As it does not accept the Hebrew Bible as a 'primary source' [which only makes sense, as the books were, by and large, not written at the time the events occurred], the author describes how scholars must look elsewhere to determine the influences behind the formation of Israel. This is not to say the Hebrew Bible is not a valuable tool [from either Judges or I Kings forward]; it offers perspectives that science cannot provide.
I thought the discussion about pig bones was fascinating; the pig industry was a going concern and "big moneymaker" [as it were] for the Philistines during the Early Iron Age, but then the pig industry eventually disappeared over the course of the Middle and Late Iron Ages. The best "guess" as to why the pig industry disappeared would be due to the appearance of the Israelites and their dietary laws, but this begs the question of why pig meat was now considered anathema.
It talks a lot about pots and pottery and clay earthenware [can't remember the correct wording, and I can't find my copy of the book at the moment to look it up]. Apparently Israeli ceramics are identifiable due to certain characteristics [such as a lack of decorative engravings and colors] which help identify Israeli settlements. Adjoining civilizations also had their own unique ceramics which helped identify [to some extent] who was in what area at a given time.
The discussion about the 'four-room' house was also interesting. This structure is best known for being discovered in Israeli settlements and can be found all throughout the region where the Israelites settled. This structural form then disappears after the two Israeli monarchies are destroyed and the surviving Israelites are no longer in control of their own destiny. Despite arguments denying this structure as being an Israeli construct and indicative of Israeli towns and society, the fact that its construction and usage ceases after the destruction of the Israeli monarchies lends a lot of credence to this being an Israelite invention and used almost exclusively by the Israelites.
It was an interesting book, overall. It does get boring in some parts, but I still enjoyed reading it.
I thought the discussion about pig bones was fascinating; the pig industry was a going concern and "big moneymaker" [as it were] for the Philistines during the Early Iron Age, but then the pig industry eventually disappeared over the course of the Middle and Late Iron Ages. The best "guess" as to why the pig industry disappeared would be due to the appearance of the Israelites and their dietary laws, but this begs the question of why pig meat was now considered anathema.
It talks a lot about pots and pottery and clay earthenware [can't remember the correct wording, and I can't find my copy of the book at the moment to look it up]. Apparently Israeli ceramics are identifiable due to certain characteristics [such as a lack of decorative engravings and colors] which help identify Israeli settlements. Adjoining civilizations also had their own unique ceramics which helped identify [to some extent] who was in what area at a given time.
The discussion about the 'four-room' house was also interesting. This structure is best known for being discovered in Israeli settlements and can be found all throughout the region where the Israelites settled. This structural form then disappears after the two Israeli monarchies are destroyed and the surviving Israelites are no longer in control of their own destiny. Despite arguments denying this structure as being an Israeli construct and indicative of Israeli towns and society, the fact that its construction and usage ceases after the destruction of the Israeli monarchies lends a lot of credence to this being an Israelite invention and used almost exclusively by the Israelites.
It was an interesting book, overall. It does get boring in some parts, but I still enjoyed reading it.
December 5, 2025
The book makes you re-evaluate one's perceptions about ancient Israel, current Israel and the link between them.
Chapter 5 dwells on the amazing evidence testifying that pork-avoidance among descendants of the Israelite people has 3000 years old roots. This is intriguing because pork-avoidance makes no sense; the author meticulously refutes the wide-spread theory linking pork-avoidance to spread of infection. For me chapters 9-11 substantiated with irrefutable evidence that Israel of the Judges was not stratified had no King and it that its government system reminds us of modern 'corporate rule.'
To what extent did corporate rule stem from Israel of the Judges? This question opened for me a new page researching a somewhat obscure but not unexplored concept: the covenantal society.
Chapter 5 dwells on the amazing evidence testifying that pork-avoidance among descendants of the Israelite people has 3000 years old roots. This is intriguing because pork-avoidance makes no sense; the author meticulously refutes the wide-spread theory linking pork-avoidance to spread of infection. For me chapters 9-11 substantiated with irrefutable evidence that Israel of the Judges was not stratified had no King and it that its government system reminds us of modern 'corporate rule.'
To what extent did corporate rule stem from Israel of the Judges? This question opened for me a new page researching a somewhat obscure but not unexplored concept: the covenantal society.
April 20, 2021
Excellent collation of data with interesting conclusions which can fit said data. Also, Faust provides excellent critiques of more "minimalist" perspectives.
That said, Faust's conclusions at times appear to go beyond the data. While plausible, they are not the only conclusions that can be drawn from the data and so the overall argument does suffer from overreaching.
Also, a handful of typos, which is odd.
That said, Faust's conclusions at times appear to go beyond the data. While plausible, they are not the only conclusions that can be drawn from the data and so the overall argument does suffer from overreaching.
Also, a handful of typos, which is odd.
June 8, 2013
This is a masterful book on the archaeology of ancient Israel in the Iron I period. Faust applies anthropological models to the archaeological data to support hypotheses about Israel's origins, ethnic identity, and weltanschauung. The book will not please all readers because it relies on analogs to modern primitive societies and is therefore speculative, hence 4 stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews