Identifying Earliest Israel

Abstract

There has been much discussion in the past decade regarding identifying Israel in the archaeological remains in ancient Palestine. The Iron I period (ca. 1200-1000 B. C.), in particular, poses great problems as scholars attempt to locate the earliest Israelite community in the settlements that emerged in the highlands at this time. Connecting this settlement with the label "Israel" requires a statement about ethnic identity, yet studies of the topic rarely reckon critically with the comparative literature on the nature of ethnicity. This study surveys contemporary theory on ethnic identity and then uses this theory to determine whether the Iron I highlands constitute a unique ethnicity. It is shown that identifying early Israel can be done without reference to the biblical text at all. Stylistic homogeneity and, more especially, settlement patterns reveal the distinctive identity of this community. The Merneptah stele and material culture continuity with Iron II support the designation of that community as Israel.

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