Syria-Palestine in The Late Bronze Age

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.

• Map and FiguresAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroductionPART I: SYRIA-PALESTINE DURING THE LATE BRONZE AGEChapter 1: An Overview of Political History (ca. 1550-1150 BCE) Egypt Ḫatti Mittani Babylonia Assyria Syria-Palestine Egyptian Rule over Syria-Palestine Chapter 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 Alalaḫ2.1.5. 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 (II): Interpretative Models5.1. Feudalism and Asiatic Mode of Production5.2. On Hititte ‘Vassalage’PART III: PATRONS AND CLIENTS IN THE LEVANTChapter 6: Patronage Relationships: A Theoretical Overview6.1. On Mediterranean Societies6.2. Kinship and Patron-Client Relationships6.3. Honour, Prestige and Patronage6.4. The Concept of Patronage and Late Bronze Age Syria-PalestineChapter 7: Patrimonialism in the Late Bronze Age7.1. Syria-Palestine as Patrimonial Society7.2. Patrimonialism and PatronageChapter 8: Political Relations in Late Bronze Age Syria-Palestine8.1. Alliance and Subordination—Loyalty and Reciprocity8.2. Prestige as Authority and Power8.3. On the Socio-Religious Imagination in Syria-PalestineConclusionsBibliographyIndices

" ... impressive and highly recommended ... this is a very useful book, as it provides an in-depth, theoretically sound and quite innovative understanding of the socio-political structure of Syria-Palestine during the Late Bronze Age specifically and the ancient Near East in general. I highly recommend the book for anyone studying ancient Near Eastern cultures and other historical or traditional cultures."- Aren M. Maeir, Bar-Ilan University, Israel, the Bryn Mawr Classical Review"very well-argued and referenced"- Nick Wyatt, Journal for the Society of the Old Testament