Temples in Antis in the bronze and iron ages of the Levant: an archaeological case study of ritual and religion in the ancient Near East

Trow, Rebecca Temples in Antis in the bronze and iron ages of the Levant: an archaeological case study of ritual and religion in the ancient Near East. PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

Temples in antis first appear in the Early Bronze Age in modern day Syria and gradually spread southwards through the rest of the Levant from the Middle Bronze Age onwards. In Syria, some temples in antis are still found in the Iron Age but they seem to be declining in popularity in this period. This research aims to provide a new definition of temples in antis across the Levant based not only on the architecture as in previous research, but also on the finds within the temples. Looking at the finds as well as the architecture allows a consideration of the nature of activities associated with these buildings, and a comparison between these temples and other types of temples will show whether they represent a new style of cult or simply a new style of architecture to house existing cults. Before considering the temples in antis specifically, this research first presents a summary of research into religion and ritual in archaeology, an area that has been sadly neglected in the past, allowing a definition of what we may be encountering in the case of these temples. It is hoped that this research will add to the recent wave of research on religion in archaeology, acting as a case study that shows how the archaeological remains of religion should be considered as an important piece of evidence allowing us to better understand ancient societies, rather than simply being ignored or treated as something of a joke. In the main part of this research, the entire corpus of temples in antis is collected, and then all the available data on finds from these temples are brought together for analysis. Because of the lack of data for many sites, four case study sites (Ebla, Tel Haror, Tell el-Hayyat and Hazor) were chosen which act as a base to which other, more poorly published sites may be compared. Conclusions based on this research are threefold considering: firstly, what can be determined about religion and ritual in the temple in antis; secondly, how these temples compare to other types of temples; and finally, how these temples, whatever they represent, may have spread.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	Date: 2015-04-10 (completed)
Subjects:	?? BL ?? ?? CC ??
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	03 Aug 2015 09:48
Last Modified:	17 Dec 2022 01:27
DOI:	10.17638/02011021
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2011021