In Pursuit of Visibility: Essays in Archaeology, Ethnography, and Text in Honor of Beth Alpert Nakhai

In Pursuit of Visibility: Essays in Archaeology, Ethnography, and Text in Honor of Beth Alpert Nakhai

Edited by Jennie Ebeling, Laura Mazow

In Pursuit of Visibility honors the distinguished career of a scholar of Canaan and ancient Israel, Beth Alpert Nakhai. In fifteen diverse essays, Professor Nakhai’s students and colleagues celebrate her important contributions to the field of Near Eastern Archaeology, including her research into gender, household, and cult in the Bronze and Iron Age southern Levant, and her tireless efforts to acknowledge and support women in the profession. These essays reflect Professor Nakhai’s commitment to combining archaeology and text to reconstruct aspects of ancient life and make those who are marginalized visible in both the past and the present.

H 245 x W 174 mm

212 pages

44 figures, 6 tables (colour throughout)

Published Jun 2022

Archaeopress Archaeology

ISBN

Paperback: 9781803272313

Digital: 9781803272320

Contents

Introduction: An Appreciation of Beth Alpert Nakhai – Jennie Ebeling, Laura Mazow, Mandana Nakhai, Abbe Alpert, and J. Edward Wright ;

Part I: Archaeology ;
Tfu Tfu Tfu: Against Evil Eye Assumptions – Abigail S. Limmer ;
‘It’s the Pits …’ Iron Age I Economy at Abel Beth Maacah – Lisa Marsio ;
What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? Contextualizing an Iron Age IIA Female-Drummer Figurine from Tel Abel Beth Maacah – Nava Panitz-Cohen and Daphna Tsoran ;
Rethinking ‘Cultic’ Herd Management: A Preliminary Multi-Isotopic Perspective on the Proposed Iron Age IIA Cultic Space at Khirbet Summeily – Kara Larson and James W. Hardin ;
Two-Handled Pillar Jars at Gezer – Charles Wilson, Steven M. Ortiz, and Sam R. Wolff ;
Greco-Roman Dining Practices, Feasts, and Community Structure at Qumran – Alan W. Todd ;

Part II: Ethnography and Ethnoarchaeology ;
They also Dug! Archaeologists’ Wives and their Stories – Norma Dever† ;
Making Space: Women and Ovens in the Iron Age Southern Levant – Jennie Ebeling ;
Gender and Glass: An Historical and Contemporary Consideration – Alysia Fischer ;
Female Elders, Professional Potters, and Heritage Collecting – Gloria London ;

Part III: Hebrew Bible ;
The Host and the Hosted: Commensal Politics and Cultural (Mis)understandings at Samson’s Wedding – Laura Mazow ;
Asherah: Everyone’s Favorite Girl – Theodore W. Burgh ;
Defending Scripture through Spiritual Archaeology – Mark Elliott ;
Unveiling Biblical Women with Accurate Translations of the Hebrew Feminine – Elizabeth Ann R. Willett ;
Women in Archaeology and Antiquity – William G. Dever