RT Article
T1 The Rural Community in Ancient Israel during Iron Age II
JF Bulletin of ASOR
VO 317
SP 17
OP 39
A1 Faust, Avraham
LA English
PB The University of Chicago Press
YR 2000
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1789837162
AB This article focuses on the social organization of Iron Age II villages in ancient Israel. Based on an analysis of house size, size and distribution of agricultural-industrial installations, the presence of terrace systems, storage facilities, and other elements such as a boundary wall, several conclusions are presented. The basic social units were large extended families that dwelled together. These families were organized in larger kinship groups (probably lineages) which, to some extent, were probably responsible for production and storage facilities and can be seen as "corporate groups." The lineage frequently comprised an entire village, but in some cases several lineages constituted a settlement. In any event, in light of the archaeological evidence it seems that there was a forum responsible for decision-making on the village level, even when the village was larger than the lineage. These conclusions are compared with the biblical/historical data concerning the organization of the "traditional Israelite society" and are examined in light of our knowledge of similar societies throughout the world and in the ancient Near East.
DO 10.2307/1357482