Temples and Sanctuaries from the Early Iron Age Levant History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant Edited by Jeffrey A. Blakely University of Wisconsin, Madison K. Lawson Younger Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 1. The Horsemen of Israel: Horses and Chariotry in Monarchic Israel (Ninth–Eighth Centuries b.c.e.), by Deborah O’Daniel Cantrell 2. Donkeys in the Biblical World: Ceremony and Symbol, by Kenneth C. Way 3. The Wilderness Itineraries: Genre, Geography, and the Growth of Torah, by Angela R. Roskop 4. Temples and Sancturies from the Early Iron Age Levant: Recovery after Collapse, by William E. Mierse 5. Poetic Astronomy in the Ancient Near East: The Reflexes of Celestial Science in Ancient Mesopotamian, Ugaritic, and Israelite Narrative, by Jeffrey L. Cooley Temples and Sanctuaries from the Early Iron Age Levant Recovery after Collapse William E. Mierse Winona Lake, Indiana Eisenbrauns 2012 © 2012 by Eisenbrauns Inc. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America www.eisenbrauns.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mierse, William E. Temples and sanctuaries from the early Iron Age Levant : recovery after collapse / William E. Mierse. pages cm — (History, archaeology, and culture of the Levant ; 4) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-57506-246-4 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Temples—Middle East. 2. Architecture, Ancient—Middle East. 3. Iron Age—Middle East. I. Title. NA212.M54 2012 726′.109394—dc23 2012028630 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Informa- tion Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.♾™ To my parents for all their love and support Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi 1. Another Study of Levantine Temples? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Earlier Work 2 Type of Study 5 Textual Material 8 Design of the Book 16 2. Geography and People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 The Physical Geography 23 The Human Geography 30 Patterns of Trade 53 A Sacred Landscape 55 3. Iron Age Temple Remains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Iron Age Absolute Chronology and Stratigraphy 58 Iron Age IA Sites: 1200–1000 b.c.e. 62 Iron Age IIA Sites: Tenth Century b.c.e. 99 Iron Age IIB Sites: Ninth–Late Eighth Centuries b.c.e. 107 Iron Age IIC Sites: Late Eighth Century to the Mid-Sixth Century b.c.e. 133 Architectural Patterns: A Post-colonial “Nationalist Revival”? 142 Conclusion 151 4. Continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Construction Techniques 157 Plans and Orientation 158 Conclusion 195 5. New Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Building Techniques 199 Building Forms 203 Architectural Sculpture 212 vii viii Contents Aegean Elements 215 Plans 223 Conclusion 227 6. Societal Forces and Early Iron Age Temple-Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 The Creative and Intellectual Aspects of Temple-Building 228 The Economics and Politics of Temple-Building 236 7. Levantine Architecture Goes West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Phoenicians and Greeks 280 The First Settlements 281 A Second Phoenician Colonization 292 Conclusion 297 8. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 Collapse and Regeneration 304 The Spread of the Levantine Forms 308 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Maps and Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463 Index of Authors 463 Index of Ancient Sources 467 Index of Biblical Sources 468 Index of Ancient Sites 469 Index of Topics 473 Preface A book like this is never the result of one person’s effort alone. There are many people who need to be thanked for their assistance over the years. Though it is com- mon to thank one’s spouse at the end, I wish first of all to acknowledge my wife, Helen. She, more than anyone other than me has been forced to adapt to the requirements of writing a book that has taken too many years, and I want to thank her publicly for all her patience and good humor. Helen accompanied me on all of the many site excur- sions, trudging through fields and barren wastes to find the remains of overgrown temples. She has ridden buses and broken-down taxis throughout much of the Middle East and has never complained. I certainly could not have kept up my own spirits without her good company. Moreover, she has patiently waited, given up weekend autumn trips in New England or holiday getaways so that I could produce yet another version of the manuscript. While I may have written the book, she certainly has lived it alongside me. Three colleagues must be singled out for having willingly undertaken the task of reading earlier versions of this book. Without the insightful criticisms and sugges- tions of Martha Joukowsky, Greg McMahon, and Aaron Brody, much of what is valu- able in this manuscript would not be here. The anonymous reader for Eisenbrauns also provided important corrective information. Obviously, he or she could not spot all the weaknesses in the manuscript, and I take complete credit for what remains. The research began at the American Center for Oriental Research in Amman, where the then-director and co-director, Pierre and Patricia Bikai, created a warm and stimulating environment in which I was able to explore many avenues of investi- gation as I began the project. The discussions that I had with them at this early stage helped me to refine the project over the ensuing years. The staff of ACOR during the fall of 1996 was particularly helpful and contributed to making our stay there one of our fondest memories. Over the years, many other individuals have helped me to complete this work. I want to acknowledge and thank the staff of the library of the Albright Institute in Jerusalem and the photographic researchers at the British Museum, Walters Museum, and Israel Museum. In my home institution, the University of Vermont, I must single out the staff of the interlibrary loan department of the Bailey-Howe Library, who have always found for me the obscure items that I seek. I would never have been able to ix