The Formation of Edom
An Archaeological Critique of the “Early Edom” Hypothesis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19595333 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Piotr Bienkowski (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 388 |
| Pages | 113-132 |
| Publication date | 2022-11-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2769-3589 • E-ISSN: 2769-3600 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/720775 |
| OpenAlex | W4284675336 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 16 |
According to the Early Edom hypothesis, the late Iron II kingdom of Edom in southern Jordan emerged from the complex copper-producing society of early Iron II Faynan. A review of the archaeological evidence from the final publication of the Faynan excavations demonstrates that the hypothesis is untenable. There was a chronological gap of 50 to 100+ years between the end of settlement at Faynan, at the end of the 9th century b.c.e., and the earliest settlement in the Edom Highlands; evidence of decreasing social and political complexity at Faynan; no continuity in the scale or technology of copper production at Faynan between early and late Iron II; and completely different settlement patterns at early Iron II Faynan and in the late Iron II highlands, indicating a different economic and social basis. The evidence suggests that early Iron II Faynan was short-lived and linked to the contemporary society in the Negev Highlands, through administration, economy, and workforce. The kingdom of Edom and late Iron II settlement developed in the late 8th century b.c.e. under Assyrian stimulus, which had a direct impact on the expansion of settlement and agriculture, the production of pottery and other goods, and the Arabian trade across the Negev
Ancient history · Archaeological evidence · Archaeology · Chiefdom · Economics · Geography · Human settlement · Iron Age · Kingdom · Political science · Politics · Pottery · Prehistory · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Ancient Near East History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · History · Law · Geology
Standing at the crossroads — ‘En Ḥaẓeva in the Early Iron Age IIA
New Radiocarbon Dating from Late Bronze and Iron Age Gezer and Its Implications
Faynan, Nomads and the Western Negev in the Early Iron Age
Ancient Edom
Trade, Kingdom, and Empire
From Villages to Empires
The End of Arabah Copper Production and the Destruction of Gath
Excavations at Ghrareh, 1986
Tribes, Trade, and Towns
Early Bronze Age IV Settlement Pattern of the Negev and Sinai Deserts
The Spirit of Clay
Complex Communities
Beersheba – A Gateway Community in Southern Arabian Long-Distance Trade in the Eighth Century B.C.E
Iron IIA Pottery from the Negev Highlands
Up the Wadi
The Pottery of Khirbet En-Nahas
The Southern Steppe of the Levant Ca. 1050–750 Bce
Radiocarbon Results from the Iron IIA Site of Atar Haroa in the Negev Highlands and their Archaeological and Historical Implications
Single-Year German oak and Californian Bristlecone Pine 14 C Data at the Beginning of the Hallstatt Plateau from 856 BC to 626 BC
Journal of Archaeological Science
| Citations per year | 1.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |