Metalworking and Cult in the Levant during the Late Bronze Age through the Persian Period (ca. 1400 - 300 BCE)
Open Access
Author:
Calabria, Darcy Chia
Area of Honors:
Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Ann Eloise Killebrew, Thesis Supervisor Erin Mc Kenna Hanses, Thesis Honors Advisor Kenneth Gale Hirth, Thesis Supervisor
Keywords:
archaeology iron working bronze working metallurgy Levant Israel Cyprus cult
Abstract:
The production and exchange of metals, namely bronze and iron, played a significant role in the ancient economies of the eastern Mediterranean for centuries. From the Late Bronze Age II through the Persian period (ca. 1400 – 332 BCE) metalworking flourished on Cyprus as well as throughout the Levant. This industry had a large and successful market due to the extensively established trade networks that the Mediterranean offered. Archaeological evidence throughout the eastern Mediterranean suggests a strong relationship between cult and metalworking. In the Levant substantial evidence exists of cultic activities associated with bronze and iron production. While extensive scholarly research has been devoted to both the study of cult and the study of metalworking in the Levant, there has yet to be a clear understanding of the relationship between cult and metalworking. This thesis presents the archaeological and textual evidence of a relationship between cult and metalworking in the Levant. It also asks what the purpose and impact of this relationship on the ancient economy was.
