Tracking Down Cult: Production, Function and Content of Chalices in Iron Age Philistia

Gadot, Yuval; Finkelstein, Israel; Iserlis, Mark; Maeir, Aren M.; Nahshoni, P.; Namdar, Dvory

doi:10.1179/0334435514z.00000000031

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Next to this building, rooms with additional cult-oriented finds were located, and to the East of the temple, an area with evidence of metal production may also be related to the cultic function in this area (see Eliyahu-Behar and Workman 2018). Additional cultic items from Tell es-Safi/Gath include decorated chalices (see below; Gadot et al 2014).…”

Section: Public (Official) Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Philistine Cult and Religion According to Archaeological Evidence

Ben‐Shlomo

2019

Religions

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The paper surveys and discusses the updated archaeological evidence for Philistine cult and religion, and cult and religion in Philistia during the Iron Age. The evidence can be related to public or official cult, represented in temple and shrine structures, and to that coming from households, representing possibly more popular religion. The evidence of public cult, so far mostly from peripheral sites, includes largely cultural elements linked with the local Canaanite cult and religion. Yet, within households at the Philistine cities there is more evidence for cultic elements of Aegean affinity during Iron Age I. In particular, figurines and ceramic figurative vessels and objects will be discussed. It seems that the Philistine religion may have retained certain distinctive elements also during Iron Age II. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to reconstruct the details of the nature of the Philistine religion due to the limited amount of evidence and lack of textual records.

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Section: Public (Official) Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Philistine Cult and Religion According to Archaeological Evidence

Ben‐Shlomo

2019

Religions

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“…Most relevant for Eastern Mediterranean archaeology has been the more recent studies on transport and storage vessels (Serpico and White 2000), as well as bowl-shaped incense burners from the Southern Levant. Besides wine and animal fats, these vessels provided clear traces of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a wide range of other spices and resins (Gadot et al 2014;Koh et al 2014;Namdar et al 2010;Namdar et al 2013). This was the first evidence obtained for the use of these South and East Asian products in the Eastern Mediterranean, and presented a crucial contribution to the ongoing vibrant discussion on the spread of South and East Asian food to Africa and Europe (Fuller et al 2011).…”

Section: Potential Of Organic Residue Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The intense worldwide exchange of food that we have been witnessing in the last centuries (cf. Wilk 2006) has its roots in the deep past: in the Late Bronze Age Southern Levant, it was already possible to import chicken from India and it could be spiced with South Asian pepper and cinnamon (Fuller et al 2011;Gadot et al 2014;Koh et al 2014). So far, our knowledge about the early Eastern Mediterranean cuisine is based on bits and pieces of information from different sites, e.g., the evidence for chicken has been found in the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns in Late Bronze Age Greece (von den Driesch and Boessneck 1990), pepper was used for the mummification of Pharaoh Ramses II in the thirteenth century (Plu 1985), and all other spices have been identified with organic residue analyses in present-day Israel.…”

Section: Potential Of Organic Residue Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to understand possible social practices with these Aegean-type vessels in the Southern Levant, it is first necessary to analyze the use of stemmed bowls of Canaanite type. Residue analyses on stemmed ceramic bowls of Canaanite type as well as pictorial images enable us to identify these vessels' function beyond any doubt: they were used for burning incense at certain events (Gadot et al 2014;Namdar et al, 2010;Yoselevich 2006). The residue analyses of stemmed bowls from many different sites-especially harbor sites and temples, where these vessels concentrate (e.g., Fig.…”

Section: Illustration By Philipp Stockhammermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seventeen stemmed bowls from the, albeit slightly later, Tel Yavneh site allowed for particularly interesting insights: in one group of bowls, molecular traces of substances were found that point to a mixture of floral oils from several plants including probably jasmine (Jasminun Gradiflora) or nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) (Gadot et al 2014;Namdar et al 2010: 169). Until recently, nutmeg was not thought to be present in the Levantine Late Bronze and Iron Age, as this plant only grew in Southeast Asia at this time.…”

Section: Illustration By Philipp Stockhammermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Past Food for Thought: The Potential of Archaeology

Stockhammer

2016

Gastronomica

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Until recently, archaeologists have routinely connected a particular object with a certain function and meaning—especially with regard to eating and drinking practices—and have underestimated the transformative power of intercultural encounters. In my article, I explore the dynamic relationship between food “stuffs” and the objects and practices connected with their consumption. Adopting a transcultural perspective, I want to focus on the changeability of the relation between food “stuffs,” objects, and practices and individual objects’ biographies of usage. I will illustrate my methodological approach with case studies from the late second millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean where objects for food consumption were widely distributed—and have thus far been interpreted as evidence for the spread of certain practices of consumption over the whole region. By analyzing regional processes of appropriation of these objects I will shed light on the astonishing transformations of their functions and meanings.

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Plant-related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath

Frumin,

Maeir,

Eniukhina

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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The Philistine culture (Iron Age, ca. 1200-604 BCE) profoundly impacted the southern Levant's cultural history, agronomy, and dietary customs. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the Philistines’ cultic praxis and deities, is limited and uncertain. Here, we combine archaeological data with a meticulous study of plant use at two successive temples at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfī/Gath. We provide a list of the plants used, their time of harvest, mode of offering, and possible symbolism. Analysis of the temples' macrobotanical (seed and fruits) plant assemblage reveals the offerings; that the inception date for rites was early spring; and sheds light on the date of the final utilization of the temples (late summer/early fall). Besides food crops, we note the earliest cultic use of chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus), crown daisy (Glebionis coronaria), and scabious (Lomelosia argentea). These wide-spread Mediterranean plants were known so far only in later cults—of early Greek deities, such as Hera, Artemis, Demeter, and Asclepios. We discuss the data as reflecting that the Philistine religion relied on the magic and power of nature, such as fresh water and seasonality, which influence human life, health, and activity. In sum, our results offer novel insights into the culture of the Philistines.

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Tracking Down Cult: Production, Function and Content of Chalices in Iron Age Philistia

Cited by 16 publications

References 21 publications

Philistine Cult and Religion According to Archaeological Evidence

Philistine Cult and Religion According to Archaeological Evidence

Past Food for Thought: The Potential of Archaeology

Plant-related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath

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