Technopoiesis in the Southern Levantine Metallurgy and Its Implications on the Rise and Fall of the Ghassulian Society

The impact of mental shifts on societal transformations in antiquity is frequently minimized due to the difficulty of evaluating them. However, even in the absence of written sources, some of these changes are traceable in the material culture, through a special type of implements produced for revealing the technique bringing them forth. Defined as processual artifacts, they inform us about the ‘juvenile phase’ of complex techniques with strong cosmological dimension (technopoiesis), their evolution, and their societal influences. This paper exposes the heuristic power of this approach through the analysis of the early metallurgy in the Southern Levant. It shows how the evolution of this craft and its cosmological resonances contribute to clarify the singularity of the Ghassulian culture and its disappearance during the transition to the Early Bronze Age

Edomite Defectors Among the Israelites - Evidence from Psalm 124

The present analysis of Ps 124 suggests that it relates the retreat to Israel of a foreign group of YHWH’s worshipers. Its Edomite identity emerges from its comparison with other Songs of Ascents (especially Pss 120, 122 and 129) and the Adam appellation of their land of origin (v. 2). The setting of Ps 124 in complex antiphony provides further details concerning their fleeing from Edom, their new commitment to Israel, and their Edomite brothers’ angry reaction. These events corroborate other biblical sources aiming for the integration of a group of Edomite poets and singers in the Jerusalem temple at the early Persian period. The consequences concerning the nature of the corpus of Songs of Ascents are discussed. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312–3621/2021/v34n1a

El origen y la evolución del símbolo del serafín

Abstract: The abundance of uraeus iconography in Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Canaan has led most scholars to interpret the saraph, a winged and/or burning serpent evoked in the Bible, as an Egyptian religious symbol borrowed by the Canaanites and thereafter integrated in the Yahwistic sphere. The strong affinity of the saraph symbol with a local serpent species, Echis coloratus, however, challenges this view. It reveals that the saraph was an indigenous Canaanite symbol later influenced in its representation by the Egyptian glyptic. Comparison of the biology of Echis coloratus and the literary source relating to the saraph suggests that the latter was once approached as an animal that guarded the copper mining areas of the Arabah and Sinai against access by unauthorized persons. By extension, it became the privileged symbol of copper metallurgy and its proximate spheres of influence. It is concluded that the essential relation between YHWH and the seraph is probably rooted in the metallurgical background of the god of Israel. Furthermore, the closer affinities of the properties of the uraeus with Echis coloratus rather than with the cobra species that symbolize it suggest that this Egyptian symbol had been borrowed from Canaan as early as the pre-Dynastic period before influencing it in the reverse direction in the Late Bronze Age.Resumen: La abundancia de iconografías de uraeus en la Edad del Bronce Tardío y en la Edad del Hierro en Canaán, llevó a la mayoría de los investigadores a interpretar el serafín, una serpiente con alas y/o ardiente evocada en la Biblia, como un símbolo egipcio tomado prestado por los cananeos y luego integrado en la tradición yahvista. Sin embargo, la fuerte afinidad del símbolo del serafín con las especies de serpientes locales, Echis coloratus, desafía esta visión. Se demuestra que el serafín era un símbolo nativo cananeo, cuyas representaciones fueron influenciadas posteriormente por la escultura egipcia. La comparación de la biología del Echis colorataus con las fuentes literarias relacionadas con el serafín, sugiere que este último aparecía como un animal que cuidaba las zonas mineras de cobre en la Arabá y en el Sinaí contra el acceso de personas no autorizadas. Por lo tanto, se convirtió en el símbolo privilegiado del hierro metalúrgico y de sus esferas cercanas de influencia. Se concluye que el vínculo esencial entre Yahvé y el serafín radicaría probablemente en las fuertes raíces metalúrgicas del dios de Israel. A la vez, la estrecha afinidad entre las propiedades de uraeus y el Echis coloratus, más que con las especies de cobra que simboliza, sugiere que el símbolo egipcio fue tomado prestado de Canaán ya en el periodo Pre- Dinástico, antes de influenciar a este, a la inversa, en la Edad del Bronce Tardío

What Are the “Long Nostrils” of YHWH?

The mention of YHWH’s “nostrils” (ʾapayīm) in the Bible is classically interpreted as a metonymy of the face and/or a metaphor for anger. The reference to their length and even to their elongation, however, rules out any entirely satisfying explanation in this semantic context. If this term is construed as a tuyère, as is identified in Dan 10:20, the use of ʾapayīm in Ex 15:8 becomes clear. This interpretation also explains the denotation of patience and loving-kindness as ʾerek ʾapayīm (the so-called “long nostrils” of YHWH) because the air pressure generated by a blast from a tuyère (=its power) decreases proportionally to its length. Accordingly, the liturgical formulae that includes this expression (Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Joel 2:13; Jon 4:2; Pss 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Neh 9:17) praise YHWH for the forbearance of voluntarily restraining the power of his reaction to annoying events on earth. This interpretation also clarifies the use of ʾap/ʾapayīm in Isa 48:9; Jer 15:15, and Nah 1:3. Furthermore, these last-mentioned instances reveal that beyond their metaphoric meaning, the divine ʾapayīm evoke an essential attribute of YHWH. The significance of these findings is discussed in view of the duality of anthropomorphic and aniconic representations of YHWH in ancient Israel

Código visual en el tesoro de Nahal Mishmar: ¿El caso más antiguo de proto-escritura?

Abstract: Visual codes including three types of signs (logograms, phonograms and determinatives) are the earliest stage in the development of writing. Until recently, the oldest known visual code identified so far, the early precursor of the hieroglyphs, has been discovered in pre-Dynastic Egyptian context (Tomb U-j, near Abydos, 3320 BCE). An examination of artifacts from the Nahal Mishmar copper hoard (end fifth millennium BCE) suggests the development of a visual code that employs these three types of signs in Southern Levant, many centuries before its earliest expression in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. This visual code is tridimensional, and its encoded messages focus on metallurgical processes and their cultural significance. The implications for our understanding of the Ghassulian culture and the development of writing in the Ancient Near East are discussed.Resumen: Los códigos visuales que contienen tres tipos de signos (logogramas, fonogramas y determinativos) son los estadios más tempranos en el desarrollo de la escritura. Hace poco, el código visual más antiguo conocido e identificado hasta la fecha, el precursor temprano de los jeroglíficos, ha sido descubierto en el contexto egipcio pre-dinástico (Tumba U-j, cerca de Abidos, 3320 a.C.). Un examen de los artefactos del tesoro de cobre de Nahal Mishmar (finales del quinto milenio a.C.) sugiere el desarrollo de un código visual que emplea estos tres tipos de signos en el sur del Levante, varios siglos antes de las primeras expresiones en Egipto y Mesopotamia. Este código visual es tridimensional, y sus mensajes codificados se focalizan en procesos metalúrgicos y su significado cultural. Se discuten aquí sus implicancias para nuestra comprensión de la cultura Gassuliense y el desarrollo de la escritura en el Cercano Oriente antiguo

A Metallurgical Perspective on the Birth of Ancient Israel

The re-emergence of the copper industry in the Arabah valley between the twelfth and ninth centuries BCE stimulated wealth and economic development across the whole Southern Levant. Combining this reality with the metallurgical background of ancient Yahwism provides a material basis for the spread, from the early Iron Age, of the worship of YHWH in ancient Israel and neighboring nations, especially Edom. These findings strengthen the Qenite hypothesis of the origin of the Israelite religion. They also suggest that an official cult of YHWH, replacing a traditional esoteric dimension, is the main novelty of the Israelite religion. The claim of YHWH’s intervention in history, apparently absent from traditional Yahwism, is the other theological novelty advanced by the Israelites. This article suggests that both innovations are rooted in a desert-shaped form of Yahwism especially adapted to the way of life and the environment of Northwestern Arabia, the land of Biblical Midian

Algunas implicancias de la teofanía metalúrgica de Yahvé en su identidad primitiva

Abstract: YHWH’s theophany and mode of action are frequently evoked in the Bible as a volcanic event. It is shown here that this representation, of central importance in the story of the Sinai Covenant, is probably not anchored in any specific volcanic eruption experienced by the Israelites in the past. In Antiquity, volcanic activity was specifically associated with the gods who patronized metallurgy, given the homology between lava flowing from a volcano and slag released from a furnace at smelting. Evidence towards such a link is also identified in the Bible. Accordingly, rather than being simply a literary artifice imaging the outstanding powers of YHWH, volcanism may reflect the existence of metallurgical roots in Israelite theology. This contention is supported by Biblical evidences associating YHWH with metal production: (i) his primeval dominion in mining areas, (ii) his special worship by metalworkers, (iii) the representation of his celestial universe as a giant furnace. It is concluded that the volcanic representation of YHWH’s theophany and mode of action reveal a surprising level of preservation of the metallurgic religious traditions in the ancient Israelite theology.Resumen: La teofanía y el modo de acción de Yahvé son frecuentemente evocadas en la Biblia como un evento volcánico. Se muestra aquí que esta representación, de central importancia en la historia de la Alianza del Sinaí, probablemente no se encuentra anclada en ninguna erupción volcánica experimentada por los israelitas en el pasado. En la antigüedad, la actividad volcánica estaba asociada específicamente con los dioses que apadrinaban la metalurgia, dada la homología entre la lava que fluye de un volcán y la escoria liberada de un horno de fundición. También es posible encontrar evidencia sobre este vínculo en la Biblia. En consecuencia, en vez de ser un simple artificio literario que representa los poderes excepcionales de Yahvé, el volcanismo podría reflejar la existencia de raíces metalúrgicas en la teología de los israelitas. Esta opinión se sostiene por las evidencias bíblicas que asocian a Yahvé con la producción de metales: (i) su dominio en las zonas mineras, (ii) su adoración especial por parte de los trabajadores metalúrgicos, (iii) la representación de su universo divino como un horno gigante. Se concluye que la representación volcánica de la teofanía de Yahvé y su modo de acción revelan un sorprendente nivel de preservación de las tradiciones religiosas metalúrgicas en la teogonía del Antiguo Israel

Some implications of the volcanic theophany of YHWH on his primeval identity

Abstract: YHWH’s theophany and mode of action are frequently evoked in the Bible as a volcanic event. It is shown here that this representation, of central importance in the story of the Sinai Covenant, is probably not anchored in any specific volcanic eruption experienced by the Israelites in the past. In Antiquity, volcanic activity was specifically associated with the gods who patronized metallurgy, given the homology between lava flowing from a volcano and slag released from a furnace at smelting. Evidence towards such a link is also identified in the Bible. Accordingly, rather than being simply a literary artifice imaging the outstanding powers of YHWH, volcanism may reflect the existence of metallurgical roots in Israelite theology. This contention is supported by Biblical evidences associating YHWH with metal production: (i) his primeval dominion in mining areas, (ii) his special worship by metalworkers, (iii) the representation of his celestial universe as a giant furnace. It is concluded that the volcanic representation of YHWH’s theophany and mode of action reveal a surprising level of preservation of the metallurgic religious traditions in the ancient Israelite theology.Resumen: La teofanía y el modo de acción de Yahvé son frecuentemente evocadas en la Biblia como un evento volcánico. Se muestra aquí que esta representación, de central importancia en la historia de la Alianza del Sinaí, probablemente no se encuentra anclada en ninguna erupción volcánica experimentada por los israelitas en el pasado. En la antigüedad, la actividad volcánica estaba asociada específicamente con los dioses que apadrinaban la metalurgia, dada la homología entre la lava que fluye de un volcán y la escoria liberada de un horno de fundición. También es posible encontrar evidencia sobre este vínculo en la Biblia. En consecuencia, en vez de ser un simple artificio literario que representa los poderes excepcionales de Yahvé, el volcanismo podría reflejar la existencia de raíces metalúrgicas en la teología de los israelitas. Esta opinión se sostiene por las evidencias bíblicas que asocian a Yahvé con la producción de metales: (i) su dominio en las zonas mineras, (ii) su adoración especial por parte de los trabajadores metalúrgicos, (iii) la representación de su universo divino como un horno gigante. Se concluye que la representación volcánica de la teofanía de Yahvé y su modo de acción revelan un sorprendente nivel de preservación de las tradiciones religiosas metalúrgicas en la teogonía del Antiguo Israel