The Archaeology of Cult and the Chalcolithic Sanctuary at Gilat

Authors

  • David Alon Israel Authority of Antiquaries
  • Thomas E. Levy Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.v2i2.163

Keywords:

cult, Gilat, Negev, Chalcolithic, cults, trade

Abstract

The identification, excavation and interpretation of a ceremonial centre is one of the most challenging undertakings in archaeology today (Renfrew 1985: 1). For ancient Palestine, the Negev desert, Chalcolithic (ca. 4500-3500 BC) site of Gilat provides a unique opportunity to investigate early religion along the eastern Mediterranean seaboard. In this paper, the archaeological correlates for cult practice, the role of cult in Chalcolithic society, and some aspects of the ideology underlying cult practices are tested and presented. Finally, trade in exotic items is examined as a mechanism for promoting and reinforcing social elites associated with the Gilat sanctuary.

Author Biographies

  • David Alon, Israel Authority of Antiquaries
    David Alon is a researcher at the Israel Authority of Antiquaries. He was educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Archaeology. A founding member of Kibbutz Mishmar Ha Negev in 1946, Alon has surveyed and excavated numerous sites in the northern Negev region since that time. His research interests focus on the Pre-Pottery Neolithic through Early Bronze Age periods in the southern Levant.
  • Thomas E. Levy, Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
    Thomas E. Levy is Assistant Director of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology in Jerusalem. He received his PhD in 1981 from the University of Sheffield in Archaeology and Prehistory and has excavated at sites in Israel, Greece, the American Southwest, England and France. Recently he participated in an ethnoarchaeological study of abandoned pastoral nomad camps in northern Cameroon, West Africa. Research interests include the evolution of complex societies, the archaeology of cult, mortuary analysis, pastoralism, spatial analysis, and ethnoarchaeology. Recent publications include: with Sariel Shalev 'Prehistoric metalworking in the southern Levant: archaeoMetallurgical and social perspectives' (World Archaeology 20 [1989] 352-72); with Augustine Holl: 'Les Premieres Chefferies de Palestine' (La Recherche 203 [1988] 1166-74); and the edited volume Shiqmin I: Studies Concerning Chalcolithic Societies in the Northern Negev Desert, Israel (1982-1984) (Oxford: BAR International Series 356, 1987).

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Published

1989-12-01

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (1989)

Section

Articles

License

© Equinox Publishing Ltd.

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How to Cite

Alon, D., & Levy, T. E. (1989). The Archaeology of Cult and the Chalcolithic Sanctuary at Gilat. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 2(2), 163-221. https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.v2i2.163