| This dissertation argues in favor of viewing the period of circa 1200-1130 BCE, the traditional Iron Age IA, in the northern Shephelah region as a continuation of the Late Bronze Age Canaanite culture. Most sites of the region during this period were occupied by ethnic Canaanites who remained ethnically distinct from their neighbors, despite their later hybridization with other cultures.;Following an introduction to the question, Chapter 1 overviews the study of identity in the archaeology of the southern Levant, particularly as it has been applied recently to the region of the Shephelah.;Chapter 2 examines the political dynamics which shaped life in the region during the Late Bronze and early Iron Age. This discussion is largely dominated by the Egyptians, whose imperial control of Canaan was the defining political force during the transitional period.;Chapter 3 presents the settlement data of sites throughout the Shephelah region, focusing on Late Bronze II---Iron IB strata. This discussion illustrates the relative stability of the northern Shephelah region during the period in question.;Chapter 4 reviews the ceramic traditions of Canaan during the transitional period, demonstrating that the sites of the northern Shephelah, with the exception of those sites on the edge of the southern coastal plain, display ceramic assemblages consistent with a continuation of Late Bronze Age patterns.;Chapter 5 considers the presentation of the ethnic identity of the occupants of the northern Shephelah within the biblical tradition, and observes that the biblical memory associates this region with the pre-Israelite autochthonous population of Canaan between the period of the Israelite settlement and the rise of the monarchy.;Finally, the conclusion summarizes the findings of the study and argues in favor of classifying the settlement of the northern Shephelah during the first half of the twelfth century BCE as a continuation of the Late Bronze Age, utilizing the moniker of Late Bronze III rather than the traditional Iron IA. |
