Event: WEDS TALKS: The Archaeology of Cult in the Northern Kingdom of Israel

ABSTRACT: Cult in the Late Bronze Age southern Levant is characterized by worship in temples, most notably in temples of the “Midgal” type that are famously found in places like Megiddo, Pella, and Shechem. In the Iron Age, a diversity of cult places is attested, with typologies in the past tracking various types of cultic contexts known to us from the archaeological record. While cult in the Iron Age notably differs in many ways from Bronze Age traditions, certain aspects of worship continue from earlier periods. Continuities can be seen, for instance, in the types of cultic paraphernalia found in both Bronze Age and Iron Age contexts. Shrine models, ceramic altars, and cult stands are some examples of paraphernalia in continuous use. The primary aspects of worship, including animal sacrifice, incense offerings, “idol” veneration, libation, and feasting also carry on from earlier periods. On the other hand, many have argued that temple-based worship ceased in the Iron Age. Drawing from previous work, my goal is to explore cultic buildings in the northern Kingdom of Israel in the late Iron Age IIA—a period that experienced a “boom” in cult activity. The differences between Bronze Age temples, typically referred to as “houses of the deity”, and Iron Age cultic buildings is thus explored. It is argued that, based on the similarity of certain building types to domestic houses, that the concept of “God’s dwelling” changed in the Iron Age. It is also stressed that some aspects of Canaanite worship continued into the late Iron Age IIA in the north, but that this ceases in the Iron Age IIB after Hazael’s destructions.

BIO: Dr. Erin Hall earned a PhD in Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures from Tel Aviv University (2021). In her recent book Ritual and Power in Northern Israel: The Late Bronze and Iron Ages (2024), Erin explores continuity and change in cultic practice from a long-term and interregional perspective. As a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA, Erin is interested in the intersection of material culture with the formation of individual and collective identity. Her focus is on the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel and Judah and how material culture played an active role in shaping social, political, and economic selfhood and group uniformity.