TROPHY HUNTING – A BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE FROM THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST OF THE IRON AGE (CIRCA 1200–500 B.C.E.)

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 769-787
Author(s):  
Johan Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Trophy Hunting ◽  
Sport Hunting ◽  
Archaeological Perspective

Humans have been hunting since time immemorial. In recent times, especially after the shooting of Cecil, a trophy-lion, various questions have surfaced about sport hunting. In this article, evidence from the Bible and archaeology from the Iron Age ancient Near East is presented to enable the reader to understand how and what was hunted. The article will conclude with the biblical Israelites’ and their neighbours’ attitude towards hunting, in particular trophy hunting.

scholarly journals Wealth Inequality in the Ancient Near East: A Preliminary Assessment Using Gini Coefficients and Household Size

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-704
Author(s):  
Pertev Basri ◽  
Dan Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Near East ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Wealth Inequality ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Household Size ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Rural Sites

Investigating how different forms of inequality arose and were sustained through time is key to understanding the emergence of complex social systems. Due to its long-term perspective, archaeology has much to contribute to this discussion. However, comparing inequality in different societies through time, especially in prehistory, is difficult because comparable metrics of value are not available. Here we use a recently developed technique which assumes a correlation between household size and household wealth to investigate inequality in the ancient Near East. If this assumption is correct, our results show that inequality increased from the Neolithic to the Iron Age, and we link this increase to changing forms of social and political organization. We see a step change in levels of inequality around the time of the emergence of urban sites at the beginning of the Bronze Age. However, urban and rural sites were similarly unequal, suggesting that outside the elite, the inhabitants of each encompassed a similar range of wealth levels. The situation changes during the Iron Age, when inequality in urban environments increases and rural sites become more equal.

Female and Male: The Cultic Personnel. The Bible and the Rest of the Ancient near East

1995 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 711
Author(s):  
Steve A. Wiggins ◽  
Richard A. Henshaw
Keyword(s):  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
The Bible

Social Justice in the Ancient Near East and the People of the Bible

1989 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
J. A. Emerton ◽  
L. Epsztein
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The People

From Freedom to Slavery

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 41-67
Author(s):  
Annunziata Rositani
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Near East ◽  
Prisoners Of War ◽  
The State ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Old Babylonian

Abstract This article presents some reflections on slavery in the Ancient Near East during the Old Babylonian period. Particular attention is paid to an analysis of the sources for prisoners of war originating from Uruk in which the bīt asīrī, “the house of prisoners of war” is mentioned. These texts from the bīt asīrī date to the short reign of Rīm-Anum, who held power in Uruk for about eighteen months, between 1742 and 1740 BC. The use of war prisoners as labor force and slaves is examined in detail. It is suggested that the bīt asīrī was an institutional entity, managed by the state, and moreover that it was connected with the production of flour. This investigation also makes comparisons with other references to prisons in the Ancient Near East and especially in the Bible. Lastly, the ways in which war captives could be freed are discussed.

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