Lecture 3 | History without Words:
From the Pre-History of the Land to the Dawn of History
#5-10

#5. Introduction

By definition, the Pre-Historic period is the era prior to the existence of writing. This lecture will examine Israel/Palestine during this period which ended in this region sometime after 2000 BCE. Because of the lack of ancient documents from this time, scholarship must rely upon the methods of archaeological inquiry in order to investigate pre-historic cultures. Archaeology is the study of the material remains of past peoples. Though pre-historic humans did not leave us any written texts, the materials which they manufactured speak volumes about their religious beliefs, technological abilities, economic infrastructures, and political relationships. The readings for this lecture will give you the opportunity to study such inanimate remains.

#6. Tell

A tell, which means “ruin” or “mound” in ancient Middle Eastern languages, such as Akkadian and Hebrew, is an artificial hill that came into being through the successive layering of human occupations upon a single location. Given this fact, what part of a tell is the oldest? Arrange the three time periods shown on the diagram here from the oldest era to the most recent.

Schematic Section of a Tell
Y. Aharoni, M. Avi-Yonah, A. Rainey, and Z. Safrai. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. New York 1993, p. 24

#7. Map

The objects and structures portrayed in course pack entries #8-10 date to the Early Bronze Age. This era of pre-history was the first period of massive urbanization in Israel/Palestine and a time when large public buildings were constructed, such as city gates and grain silos. Three of the Early Bronze sites at which the objects and structures in #8-10 were discovered are noted in the following map with a star. Look ahead at #8-10, find the site names, then locate these places and identify the geographical region in which each site is situated (coastal plain, central hills, etc.) prior to advancing to the following reading.

#8. Metallurgy and Architecture

Metallic Objects

Metallic objects from tombs, such as a spearhead, dagger blades, and a battleaxe. (cf. above citation)

Metallic objects from tombs
A. Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, New York 1990, pp. 123, 166.

Tell el-Farah (N) Gate Structure

(cf. above citation)

Question

Think like an ancient architect: what function might the two squares serve in the above gate? Beyond the basic truism of history that people fight, what can be inferred about the social/political situation in pre-historic Israel/Palestine from the metal weapons and gate structure illustrated above?

#9. Beth Yerah Granary

Beth Yerah Granary
A. Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, New York 1990, p. 129.

Question

Study the above diagram and make sure you understand how this structure functioned. Now think like a social historian: what does the existence of a granary at a city tell us about the economic system of that town (discuss at least three characteristics)?

#10. ‘Ain Samiya Goblet

Ain Samiya Goblet
A. Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, New York 1990, p. 167.

Question

What can be concluded about the artistic and technological capabilities of the society that created the silver goblet shown above (discuss at least three characteristics)? This society did not have written words by which to explain the story on the goblet. Try to reconstruct the story depicted above. What types of figures are taking part in the narrative?