Syria-Palestine in The Late Bronze Age An Anthropology of Politics and Power

Syria-Palestine in the Late Bronze Age presents an explicitly anthropological perspective on politics and social relationships. An anthropological reading of the textual and epigraphic remains of the time allows us to see how power was constructed and political subordination was practised and expressed. Syria-Palestine in the Late Bronze Age identifies a particular political ontology, native to ancient Syro-Palestinian societies, which informs and constitutes their social worlds. This political ontology, based on patronage relationships, provides a way of understanding the political culture and the social dynamics of ancient Levantine peoples. It also illuminates the historical processes taking place in the region, processes based on patrimonial social structures and articulated through patron-client bonds.

Map and FiguresAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroductionPART I: SYRIA-PALESTINE DURING THE LATE BRONZE AGEChapter 1: An Overview of Political History (ca. 1550-1150 BCE)Egypt?attiMittaniBabyloniaAssyriaSyria-PalestineEgyptian Rule over Syria-PalestineChapter 2: ‘International’ Diplomacy during the Late Bronze Age2.1. Primary and Secondary Sources2.1.1. The El Amarna Archive2.1.2. Hittite Archives2.1.3. Archives from Ugarit2.1.4. Archives from Alala?2.1.5. Other Epigraphic Records2.1.5.1. Documents from Emar2.1.5.2. Archives from Mari2.1.5.3. Archives from Nuzi2.2. On ‘International’ Diplomacy in the Late Bronze Age2.2.1. Egyptian and Asiatic Worldviews2.3. On the Late Bronze Age Epistolographic Structure2.3.1. Amarna Socio-LinguisticsChapter 3: Alliances and Exchanges3.1. Anthropology and History: Epistemological Preliminaries3.2. Economic Anthropology of the Late Bronze Age3.3. Commodities and Exchange of Luxury Goods3.4. Exchange of Women3.4.1. Marriage as Social and Political Communication3.4.2. Hierarchies and Alliances during the Late Bronze Age3.5. Exchange of Specialists3.5.1. Techniques and Specialization3.5.2. Mobility and HospitalityPART II: POLITICAL SYSTEMS IN SYRIA-PALESTINEChapter 4: Socio-Politics of Syria-Palestine (I): Analytical Concepts 4.1. Towards an Historical Anthropology of Syria-Palestine4.2. On Statehood and State Practice in Syria-Palestine4.3. City-States in Syria-Palestine?Chapter 5: Socio-Politics of Syria-Palestine (

Emanuel Pfoh is a Researcher at the National Research Council (CONICET) and teaches in the Department of History of the National University of La Plata, Argentina.