Acknowledgments; List of Illustrations; List of Tables; Abbreviations; Introduction; Chapter 1 IRON AGE BURIAL TYPES FROM THE SOUTHERN LEVANT AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION; Chapter 2 BURIAL CONTENTS; Chapter 3 BIBLICAL EVIDENCE BEARING ON THE INTERPRETATION OF THE MATERIAL REMAINS OF THE CULT OF THE DEAD; Chapter 4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS; APPENDIX: CATALOGUE OF IRON AGE BURIALS; Illustrations and Maps; Bibliography; Index of References; Index of Site Names; Index of Authors
Summary
The family tomb as a physical claim to the patrimony, the attributed powers of the dead and the prospect of post-mortem veneration made the cult of the dead an integral aspect of the Judahite and Israelite society. Over 850 burials from throughout the southern Levant are examined to illustrate the Judahite form of burial and its development. Vessels for foods and liquids were of paramount importance in the afterlife, followed by jewellery with its protective powers. The cult of the dead began to be an unacceptable feature of the Jerusalem Yahwistic cult in the late eighth to seventh century BC
Analysis
Death customs
Palestine
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 272-302) and indexes
