About Edom and Idumea in the Persian Period

Benedikt Hensel conducts research in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zurich. He holds a PhD (2011) and habilitation (2016) in Hebrew Bible Studies and Archaeology from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz/Germany. From 2020–2021 he was Visiting Interim Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism, University of Zurich.Ehud Ben Zvi is a Professor Emeritus in the department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta.Diana V. Edelman is Professor Emerita of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oslo.

• Edom and Idumea in the Persian Period: An Introduction to the Volume Benedikt Hensel Part I: Overviews 1. The Complexity of a Site: “Edom” in Persian Period from the Perspectives of Historical Research, Hebrew Bible Studies and Ancient Near Eastern Studies Benedikt Hensel2. Edom in the Persian Period, Relations with the Negev, and the Arabian Trade: The Archaeological Evidence Piotr Bienkowski, University of Manchester 3. The Genesis of Idumea Yigal Levin, Bar Ilan University 4. The Evolution of an Edomite/Idumean Identity: Hellenistic Maresha as a Case Study Ian Stern, Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem Part II: Case StudiesIdumea and Judah 5. Edom in Judah: Identity and Social Entanglement in the Late Iron Age Negev Andrew J. Danielson, University of California, Los Angeles 6. Dry Climate During the Early Persian Period and Its Impact on the Establishment of Idumea Dafna Langgut and Oded Lipschits, both Tel Aviv University 7. A Tale of Two Provinces: Judah and Edom During the Persian Period Alexander Fantalkin and Oren Tal, both Tel Aviv University Edom and Idumea: Sites and Artifacts 8. Idumean in Light of the Votive Deposits of Terracotta FigurinesAdi Erlich, University of Haifa 9. A Monumental Hellenistic-Period Ritual Compound in Upper Idumea: New Findings from Ḥorbat ʿAmudaMichal Haber (The Hebrew University), Oren Gutfeld (The Hebrew University) and Pablo Betzer (israel Antiquities Authority)Edom and Idumea from Epigraphic and Literary Sources 10. Edom in the Nabonidus Chronicle: A Land Conquered or a Vassal Defended? A Reappraisal of the Annexation of North Arabia by the Late Babylonian EmpireHanspeter Schaudig, University of Heidelberg11. Have There Been Prophets in Edom? An Ostracon from Ḥorvat ‘Uza Once MoreBob Becking, Utrecht University 12. Economic and Administrative Realia of Rural Idumea at the End of the Persian Period Diana V. Edelman 13. The Aramaic Divination TextsEsther Eshel (Bar Ilan University), Michael Langlois (University of Strasbourg), and Mark Geller (University College London)Part III: Literary Constructions of “Edom”: the Hebrew Bible Traditions 14. Edom as a Complex Site of Memory among the Literati of Late Persian/early Hellenistic Judah: Some ObservationsEhud Ben Zvi 15. Think Positive! How the Positive Portrayal of Edom in Late Biblical Texts Leads to New Perspectives on Understanding the Literary-History of Genesis, Deuteronomy, and ChroniclesBenedikt Hensel 16. The “Edom Texts” in Samuel–Kings in Inner- and Extrabiblical Perspective Stephen Germany, University of Basel 17. Late Historical Edom and Reading Edom, Seir, and Esau in the Prophetic Literature through Persian Lenses: Preliminary Observations Diana V. Edelman 18. The Contribution of Chronicles to the Memory Argument about Edom as Reflected in the Core Repertoire of the Yehudite Literati of the Late Persian/Early Hellenistic Period Ehud Ben Zvi