Philistine Iconography: a Wealth of Style and Symbolism
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Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2010 Philistine Iconography: A Wealth of Style and Symbolism Ben-Shlomo, David Abstract: The Philistines were immigrants from the Aegean region and Cyprus who arrived at the southern coast of Palestine/Israel during the 12th century BCE. They created a distinct material culture in this region during the Iron Age (ca. 1,200-600 BCE). This book presents and discusses the corpus of iconographic representations attested within the Philistine culture. The assemblage studied includes objects in various media: decoration on pottery, figurative pottery, figurines, ivory carving, glyptics and other items. The figurative style and symbolism represented in the Philistine material culture reflects both the bonds of the Philistines with their Aegean homeland and the ongoing process of interaction with the local host cultures in the southern Levant. Iconography provides an important set of evidence for understanding social, ethnic, religious and ideological aspects of the Philistine society in relation to its Eastern Mediterranean and Levantine neighbors. Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-143027 Monograph Published Version Originally published at: Ben-Shlomo, David (2010). Philistine Iconography: A Wealth of Style and Symbolism. Fribourg, Switzer- land / Göttingen, Germany: Academic Press / Vandenhoeck Ruprecht. Ben-Shlomo Philistine Iconography ORBIS BIBLICUS ET ORIENTALIS Published on behalf of the BIBLE+ORIENT Foundation in co-operation with the Department of Biblical Studies, University of Fribourg (Switzerland), the Egyptological Institute, University of Basel, the Institute of Archaeology, Near Eastern Section, University of Berne, the Institute of Biblical Research, University of Lausanne, the Department of Religious Studies, University of Zurich, and the Swiss Society for Ancient Near Eastern Studies by Susanne Bickel, Othmar Keel, Thomas C. Römer, Bernd U. Schipper and Christoph Uehlinger About the author David Ben-Shlomo (*1965) is a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and at the Albright Institute for Ar- chaeological Research in Jerusalem. He received his PhD from the He- brew University in 2005, with a thesis published as Decorated Philistine Pottery: An Archaeological and Archaeometric Research (B.A.R. Interna- tional Series 1541, 2006). He has studied and published material from archaeological excavations at the major Philistine city sites of Ashdod, Tel Miqne-Ekron and Tell es-Safi/Gath, as well as other Bronze and Iron age sites in southern Israel, contributing to the final reports of Moshe Doth- an’s excavations at Ashdod (Ashdod VI. Excavations at Areas H and K (1968-1969), 2005) and at the cemetery of Azor (to be published by the Israel Antiquities Authority with partial sponsoring of the Shelby White- Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications). Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 241 David Ben-Shlomo Philistine Iconography A Wealth of Style and Symbolism Academic Press Fribourg Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht Göttingen Published with the assistance of the Institute for Aegean Prehistory, Philadelphia, PA, and the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences. Internet general catalogue: Academic Press Fribourg: www.paulusedition.ch Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen: www.v-r.de Camera-ready text submitted by the author © 2010 by Academic Press Fribourg, Fribourg Switzerland Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht Göttingen ISBN: 978-3-7278-1654-3 (Academic Press Fribourg) ISBN: 978-3-525-54360-3 (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht) ISSN: 1015-1850 (Orb. biblicus orient.) Contents Contents ........................................................................................................V Acknowledgements ...................................................................................VIII Chapter 1. Introduction: The meaning and significance of iconography in material culture ............................................................... 1 1.1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Definitions of iconography ...........................................................................4 1.3. Iconography in archaeology: practice and theory ........................................ 5 1.4. Iconography as a language ........................................................................... 8 1.5. Iconography in the ancient Near East and in the Hebrew Bible ................ 10 Chapter 2. Defining Philistine Iron Age material culture and Philistine iconography ............................................................................14 2.1. Philistia during the Iron Age and the Philistine material culture ............... 14 2.1.1. Geographical definition .................................................................... 14 2.1.2. Literary evidence of the Philistines ................................................. 15 2.1.3. Archaeological evidence from the Philistine cities ......................... 17 2.1.3.1. Ashdod ................................................................................18 2.1.3.2. Ashkelon ..............................................................................19 2.1.3.3. Tel Miqne-Ekron ................................................................. 20 2.1.3.4. Tell es-Safi/Gath ..................................................................22 2.1.4. Defining Philistine material culture ..................................................23 2.2. Philistine iconography ................................................................................25 2.2.1. The components of the iconographic assemblage ............................ 25 2.2.2. A provisional definition of ‘Philistine iconography’ ........................ 27 Chapter 3. Iconographic representations in Iron Age Philistia ....................30 3.1. Human depictions and composite scenes ...................................................30 3.1.1. Aegean style...................................................................................... 31 3.1.1.1. Female figurines ................................................................. 31 3.1.1.2. Human depictions on decorated pottery ..............................51 3.1.2. Philistine and hybrid style ................................................................ 55 3.1.2.1. Terracottas ........................................................................... 55 VI CONTENTS 3.1.2.2. Bronze linchpins ..................................................................71 3.1.2.3. Depictions on seals ..............................................................72 3.1.3. Canaanite style.................................................................................. 74 3.1.3.1. Terracottas ........................................................................... 74 3.1.3.2. Ivory head ............................................................................79 3.1.3.3. Depictions on seals and seal impressions ............................80 3.1.4. Egyptian style ................................................................................... 85 3.1.4.1. Depictions on ivory inlays................................................... 85 3.1.4.2. Seals, seal impressions and faience objects ........................ 93 Note 1. Anthropoid clay coffins ....................................................... 96 Note 2. Philistine iconography as represented by other sources ......97 3.1.5. Summary: human depictions ............................................................ 99 3.2. Animal depictions .....................................................................................100 3.2.1. The bull ...........................................................................................100 3.2.1.1. Aegean style ...................................................................... 100 3.2.1.2. Philistine or hybrid style ................................................... 105 3.2.1.3. Canaanite style .................................................................. 109 3.2.2. The horse/donkey ........................................................................... 121 3.2.3. The lion ...........................................................................................125 3.2.3.1. Ceramic head cups ............................................................ 125 3.2.3.2. Lions in the Yavneh assemblage ....................................... 130 3.2.3.3. Statue .................................................................................131 3.2.4. The Bird ..........................................................................................132 3.2.4.1. Aegean style ...................................................................... 132 3.2.4.2. Philistine and hybrid style .................................................136 3.2.4.3. Canaanite style .................................................................. 139 3.2.5. Hedgehog ........................................................................................143 3.2.6. The ibex/ram and other quadruped animals ................................... 144 3.2.7. Fish ................................................................................................ 151 3.2.8. Summary: animal representations .................................................. 152 3.3. Vegetative depictions ................................................................................153