Writing the Histories of Palestine’s Many Regions

Speaker: Prof. Thomas Thompson
Tuesday, 17 April| 14:00

The roots of the rich multiculturalism that distinguish Palestine as the home of some forty geographically distinct small sub-regions go back to the Chalcolithic period. However, historical records have only documented the part of history extending from Roman to Ottoman times. Archaeological and biblical expeditions ignored the earlier system of pastoral vassalage and fealty that generated the political values contributing to the establishment of the hierarchical system of Palestinian society. It is this issue that Thompson will address in his lecture, highlighting the inter-relationship between such pastoral structures and Palestine’s geographical sub-regions from the fourth to the first millennium BCE. The features of this relationship will be presented as they are reflected in historical inscriptions and texts that relate to the toponymy of Palestine in the light of Bronze and Stone Age settlement patterns.

To register, please fill the online form here.