This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the CC BY-nc-ND 4.0 license. Chapter fiveConClusions: Kingdom, past, and Realpolitik at monarChiC dan in this study evidence has been presented that suggests that cultic feasts were carried out at the site of tel dan in the iron ii period and that the nature of these events may be illuminated by a close look at related biblical texts. in the conclusion that follows, a summary is provided before the possible significance of these feasts in the context of the northern Kingdom is suggested.the Yahwistic royal Cult in action to summarize to this point, after an introduction illustrating the explanatory power of a feast to open windows of insight into various aspects of particular cultures, the biblical texts discussed in Chapter 2 were argued to be suggestive of a Yahwistic and traditional religious context in which sacred feasts at dan may have been acted out: ambiguity was noted in the deuteronomistic account of 1 Kgs 12:25-33, perhaps suggesting the recognition of an active Yahwistic cult in the north close to the time of composition,1 and older traditions related to the account, i.e., exod 32 and Judg 17-18, were thought to contain traces of the Yahwism maintained in the cult of Jeroboam. the archaeological remains from the deposits of area t presented and analyzed in Chapter 3 were understood to confirm that eating activities charged with religious significance took place there, notably within different spheres of activity, and that change in practice occurred over time. further, several details of the feasts discussed in Chapter 4 were found to exhibit a close correspondence with the priestly texts, especially in regard to the priestly portions. When this evidence was considered in light of other archaeological features of area t that also seemed to parallel biblical descriptions of cultic realia (i.e., the "altar kit" and its mizrāq in t-West and the "solomonic" architecture of the area t plan) 1 that is, as part of the dhH; see pp. 10-14, above.

This article supports the hypothesis that the feast described in Amos 6.4-7 was a religious event, even a marzea banquet. The loungers' practice of drinking from mizraq vessels is singled out as a definitively syncretistic practice adopted from the nations around them. Epigraphic and iconographic evidence is used to illustrate the prevalence of drinking from ritual vessels at cultic banquets in the ancient Near East, thus explaining the ready incorporation of such a custom by the Samarian elite and bringing greater clarity to Amos's denouncement.

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This essay aims to provide a methodological framework for the application of zooarchaeology to the study of Israelite religion for the purpose of providing an overview of this growing subfield for the non-specialist and for inviting further conversation among practitioners. Definitions of “zooarchaeology” and “Israelite religion” are explored and the aim of reconstructing practices of Yahweh-centric religion is described. A methodology is suggested through a series of questions that may be applied to explorations of faunal remains, including those related to context, excavation technique and analysis, and engagement with the Hebrew Bible. The essay concludes with an illustration from Tel Dan and affirmation of integrated methodologies that critically engage archaeological and textual data to form new syntheses.

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