Yahweh: Origin of a Desert God

Yahweh: Origin of a Desert God

Author: Robert D. Miller II

Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Published: 2021-03-08

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 3647540862

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Recognizing the absence of a God named Yahweh outside of ancient Israel, this study addresses the related questions of Yahweh's origins and the biblical claim that there were Yahweh-worshipers other than the Israelite people. Beginning with the Hebrew Bible, with an exhaustive survey of ancient Near Eastern literature and inscriptions discovered by archaeology, and using anthropology to reconstruct religious practices and beliefs of ancient Edom and Midian, this study proposes an answer. Yahweh-worshiping Midianites of the Early Iron Age brought their deity along with metallurgy into ancient Palestine and the Israelite people.


Book Synopsis Yahweh: Origin of a Desert God by : Robert D. Miller II

Download or read book Yahweh: Origin of a Desert God written by Robert D. Miller II and published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. This book was released on 2021-03-08 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recognizing the absence of a God named Yahweh outside of ancient Israel, this study addresses the related questions of Yahweh's origins and the biblical claim that there were Yahweh-worshipers other than the Israelite people. Beginning with the Hebrew Bible, with an exhaustive survey of ancient Near Eastern literature and inscriptions discovered by archaeology, and using anthropology to reconstruct religious practices and beliefs of ancient Edom and Midian, this study proposes an answer. Yahweh-worshiping Midianites of the Early Iron Age brought their deity along with metallurgy into ancient Palestine and the Israelite people.


Yahweh before Israel

Yahweh before Israel

Author: Daniel E. Fleming

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-12-03

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 1108835074

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Provides a ground-breaking new interpretation with which to consider and contextualize the name Yahweh before its relationship with Israel.


Book Synopsis Yahweh before Israel by : Daniel E. Fleming

Download or read book Yahweh before Israel written by Daniel E. Fleming and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-12-03 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a ground-breaking new interpretation with which to consider and contextualize the name Yahweh before its relationship with Israel.


Yahweh before Israel

Yahweh before Israel

Author: Daniel E. Fleming

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-12-03

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 1108890431

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Yahweh is the proper name of the biblical God. His early character is central to understanding the foundations of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic monotheism. As a deity, the name appears only in connection with the peoples of the Hebrew Bible, but long before Israel, the name is found in an Egyptian list as one group in the land of tent-dwellers, the Shasu. This is the starting-point for Daniel E. Fleming's sharply new approach to the god Yahweh. In his analysis, the Bible's 'people of Yahweh' serve as a clue to how one of the Bronze Age herding peoples of the inland Levant gave its name to a deity, initially outside of any relationship to Israel. For 150 years, the dominant paradigm for Yahweh's origin has envisioned borrowing from peoples of the desert south of Israel. Fleming argues in contrast that Yahweh was not taken from outsiders. Rather, this divine name is evidence for the diverse background of Israel itself.


Book Synopsis Yahweh before Israel by : Daniel E. Fleming

Download or read book Yahweh before Israel written by Daniel E. Fleming and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-12-03 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yahweh is the proper name of the biblical God. His early character is central to understanding the foundations of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic monotheism. As a deity, the name appears only in connection with the peoples of the Hebrew Bible, but long before Israel, the name is found in an Egyptian list as one group in the land of tent-dwellers, the Shasu. This is the starting-point for Daniel E. Fleming's sharply new approach to the god Yahweh. In his analysis, the Bible's 'people of Yahweh' serve as a clue to how one of the Bronze Age herding peoples of the inland Levant gave its name to a deity, initially outside of any relationship to Israel. For 150 years, the dominant paradigm for Yahweh's origin has envisioned borrowing from peoples of the desert south of Israel. Fleming argues in contrast that Yahweh was not taken from outsiders. Rather, this divine name is evidence for the diverse background of Israel itself.


The Early History of God

The Early History of God

Author: Mark S. Smith

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2002-08-03

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 9780802839725

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There is still much disagreement over the origins and development of Israelite religion. Mark Smith sets himself the task of reconstructing the cult of Yahweh, the most important deity in Israel's early religion, and tracing the transformation of that deity into the sole god - the development of monotheism.


Book Synopsis The Early History of God by : Mark S. Smith

Download or read book The Early History of God written by Mark S. Smith and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2002-08-03 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is still much disagreement over the origins and development of Israelite religion. Mark Smith sets himself the task of reconstructing the cult of Yahweh, the most important deity in Israel's early religion, and tracing the transformation of that deity into the sole god - the development of monotheism.


The Desert Origins of God

The Desert Origins of God

Author: Juan Manuel Tebes

Publisher: Special volume of Entangled Religions 12/2 (Center for Religious Studies, Ruhr-Universität Bochum)

Published: 2021-07-15

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13:

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This special issue publishes most of the contributions of a three-day workshop of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" held on July 2019 at the Center for Religious Studies, Ruhr University Bochum. It seeks to explore and contextualize the configuration of the varied desert cultic practices from the southern Levant and northern Arabia during the Late Bronze/Iron Ages that may have contributed to the emergence of the Yahwistic cult. By this it raises also crucial questions on the early history of the Israelite and Judean religions in the first millennium BCE. Recent archaeological excavations in the Negev, southern Transjordan and Hejaz and new interpretations of old epigraphic and iconographic evidence are rapidly changing the biblical-based paradigm of the interactions between the desert cults and the Iron Age Levantine religions. Cultural contacts and the entanglement of religious networks are paramount for the understanding of this early history. Recent archaeological, iconographic and epigraphic studies of the Southern Levant contribute to the question of the emergence and early development of a Yahwistic religion. The issue adopts an interdisciplinary approach, assessing textual, archaeological, as well as epigraphic and iconographic data.


Book Synopsis The Desert Origins of God by : Juan Manuel Tebes

Download or read book The Desert Origins of God written by Juan Manuel Tebes and published by Special volume of Entangled Religions 12/2 (Center for Religious Studies, Ruhr-Universität Bochum). This book was released on 2021-07-15 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This special issue publishes most of the contributions of a three-day workshop of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe" held on July 2019 at the Center for Religious Studies, Ruhr University Bochum. It seeks to explore and contextualize the configuration of the varied desert cultic practices from the southern Levant and northern Arabia during the Late Bronze/Iron Ages that may have contributed to the emergence of the Yahwistic cult. By this it raises also crucial questions on the early history of the Israelite and Judean religions in the first millennium BCE. Recent archaeological excavations in the Negev, southern Transjordan and Hejaz and new interpretations of old epigraphic and iconographic evidence are rapidly changing the biblical-based paradigm of the interactions between the desert cults and the Iron Age Levantine religions. Cultural contacts and the entanglement of religious networks are paramount for the understanding of this early history. Recent archaeological, iconographic and epigraphic studies of the Southern Levant contribute to the question of the emergence and early development of a Yahwistic religion. The issue adopts an interdisciplinary approach, assessing textual, archaeological, as well as epigraphic and iconographic data.


The Invention of God

The Invention of God

Author: Thomas Römer

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2015-11-04

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 0674504976

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Who invented God? When, why, and where? Thomas Römer seeks to answer these enigmatic questions about the deity of the great monotheisms—Yhwh, God, or Allah—by tracing Israelite beliefs and their context from the Bronze Age to the end of the Old Testament period in the third century BCE, in a masterpiece of detective work and exposition.


Book Synopsis The Invention of God by : Thomas Römer

Download or read book The Invention of God written by Thomas Römer and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2015-11-04 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who invented God? When, why, and where? Thomas Römer seeks to answer these enigmatic questions about the deity of the great monotheisms—Yhwh, God, or Allah—by tracing Israelite beliefs and their context from the Bronze Age to the end of the Old Testament period in the third century BCE, in a masterpiece of detective work and exposition.


The Origin and Rise, Decline and Fall of the God Known As Yahweh

The Origin and Rise, Decline and Fall of the God Known As Yahweh

Author: G. R. Pafumi

Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Published: 2012-04-12

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9781467925587

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According to the Bible, Abraham hears the voice of god. God instructs Abraham to leave Ur, a city southeast of present-day Baghdad, and go to Canaan, where God would make Abraham a “great nation.” Abraham goes to Canaan where Isaac is sired. Isaac begets Jacob, who sires 12 sons. The offspring of those twelve sons represent the Twelve Tribes, or Children of Israel. Jacob's favorite son Joseph is sold into Egyptian slavery by his jealous brothers. He rises to become the most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh because of his ability to interpret the Pharaoh's dreams. When a famine strikes Canaan, he brings the Children of Israel down to Egypt, where they settle in the Land of Goshen, the land from which the Hebrews later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus. After Joseph dies, a new pharaoh comes to power who “knew not Joseph,” and the Hebrews are enslaved. Their captivity lasts for 430 years. When Pharaoh learns that a Hebrew “deliverer” is born, according to prophesy, the first male of every Hebrew family is killed by Pharaoh's soldiers. One Hebrew male baby is sent down the Nile River where he is found by the Egyptian princess Bithiah, who adopts the child. She names him Moses. Moses later learns of his Hebrew heritage, and in a rage kills an Egyptian soldier. He then flees Egypt. He meets Sephora in the desert, marries her, and is introduced to the location where the “god of the mountain” lives.Moses meets “God” and learns that His name is YHWH, pronounced Yahweh, the Tetragrammaton which is loosely translated as, “I am that I am.” The God of Abraham instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. Pharaoh refuses. God inflicts the Ten Plagues of Egypt upon Pharaoh's people. After the firstborn son of Pharaoh dies as a victim of the 10th plague, Pharaoh lets the God of Israel's people go. Moses takes the Hebrews into the desert. While they are waiting for Moses to return from Mount Sinai, where Moses is receiving the Ten Commandments, they build a “golden calf” to worship the pagan god of the Canaanites, Ba'al. The God of Abraham condemns the Hebrews to wander the desert for 40 years until all those who worshiped the false idol have died. Moses gets the Hebrews to the edge of Canaan where he dies and is buried on Mount Nebo. Joshua takes the Hebrews into the “Promised Land” where he leads the Hebrew tribes in the conquest of Canaan. Joshua fights the Battle of Jericho, where the soldiers of the Israelite army blow their trumpets and the “walls come tumbling down.” This is the biblical narrative which chronicles the early rise of the Jewish nation and people, Israel and the Israelites, and how they came to know and exclusively worship the God of Abraham, YHWH. And not a word of it is true! This book will attempt to reconstruct the most likely series of events which can best describe how Israel and the Israelites came to be. The biblical stories of creation, of the universe and of humans, as well as the origin of Israel, are works of fiction.Around 4,000 years ago, an Asiatic horde known as the Hyksos invaded Egypt and rose to prominence. By 1675 BCE they were in control of Lower Egypt, the northern half of Egypt, which had separated from Upper Egypt, still under control of the Egyptians. By 1550 BCE, Upper Egypt regained control of Lower Egypt and expelled the Hyksos, who left Egypt (in an "Exodus"). As they transited through the Sinai Peninsula, they were introduced to the pagan god (YHW) of the Shasu, Bedouin nomads. As the Hyksos made their way into Canaan, YHW evolved into YHWH, Yahweh. The God of Abraham who "spoke to Moses," YHWH, is most likely a new and improved version of the pagan god YHW. The god of Jews, Christians and Muslims is most likely an updated version of a pagan god of desert nomads. The Hyksos, with their "new" god Yahweh, merged with the pastoral nomads of the Canaanite highlands. A nation was formed, Israel. The Hyksos and pastoral nomads of the Canaanite highlands became the Israelites.


Book Synopsis The Origin and Rise, Decline and Fall of the God Known As Yahweh by : G. R. Pafumi

Download or read book The Origin and Rise, Decline and Fall of the God Known As Yahweh written by G. R. Pafumi and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2012-04-12 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the Bible, Abraham hears the voice of god. God instructs Abraham to leave Ur, a city southeast of present-day Baghdad, and go to Canaan, where God would make Abraham a “great nation.” Abraham goes to Canaan where Isaac is sired. Isaac begets Jacob, who sires 12 sons. The offspring of those twelve sons represent the Twelve Tribes, or Children of Israel. Jacob's favorite son Joseph is sold into Egyptian slavery by his jealous brothers. He rises to become the most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh because of his ability to interpret the Pharaoh's dreams. When a famine strikes Canaan, he brings the Children of Israel down to Egypt, where they settle in the Land of Goshen, the land from which the Hebrews later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus. After Joseph dies, a new pharaoh comes to power who “knew not Joseph,” and the Hebrews are enslaved. Their captivity lasts for 430 years. When Pharaoh learns that a Hebrew “deliverer” is born, according to prophesy, the first male of every Hebrew family is killed by Pharaoh's soldiers. One Hebrew male baby is sent down the Nile River where he is found by the Egyptian princess Bithiah, who adopts the child. She names him Moses. Moses later learns of his Hebrew heritage, and in a rage kills an Egyptian soldier. He then flees Egypt. He meets Sephora in the desert, marries her, and is introduced to the location where the “god of the mountain” lives.Moses meets “God” and learns that His name is YHWH, pronounced Yahweh, the Tetragrammaton which is loosely translated as, “I am that I am.” The God of Abraham instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. Pharaoh refuses. God inflicts the Ten Plagues of Egypt upon Pharaoh's people. After the firstborn son of Pharaoh dies as a victim of the 10th plague, Pharaoh lets the God of Israel's people go. Moses takes the Hebrews into the desert. While they are waiting for Moses to return from Mount Sinai, where Moses is receiving the Ten Commandments, they build a “golden calf” to worship the pagan god of the Canaanites, Ba'al. The God of Abraham condemns the Hebrews to wander the desert for 40 years until all those who worshiped the false idol have died. Moses gets the Hebrews to the edge of Canaan where he dies and is buried on Mount Nebo. Joshua takes the Hebrews into the “Promised Land” where he leads the Hebrew tribes in the conquest of Canaan. Joshua fights the Battle of Jericho, where the soldiers of the Israelite army blow their trumpets and the “walls come tumbling down.” This is the biblical narrative which chronicles the early rise of the Jewish nation and people, Israel and the Israelites, and how they came to know and exclusively worship the God of Abraham, YHWH. And not a word of it is true! This book will attempt to reconstruct the most likely series of events which can best describe how Israel and the Israelites came to be. The biblical stories of creation, of the universe and of humans, as well as the origin of Israel, are works of fiction.Around 4,000 years ago, an Asiatic horde known as the Hyksos invaded Egypt and rose to prominence. By 1675 BCE they were in control of Lower Egypt, the northern half of Egypt, which had separated from Upper Egypt, still under control of the Egyptians. By 1550 BCE, Upper Egypt regained control of Lower Egypt and expelled the Hyksos, who left Egypt (in an "Exodus"). As they transited through the Sinai Peninsula, they were introduced to the pagan god (YHW) of the Shasu, Bedouin nomads. As the Hyksos made their way into Canaan, YHW evolved into YHWH, Yahweh. The God of Abraham who "spoke to Moses," YHWH, is most likely a new and improved version of the pagan god YHW. The god of Jews, Christians and Muslims is most likely an updated version of a pagan god of desert nomads. The Hyksos, with their "new" god Yahweh, merged with the pastoral nomads of the Canaanite highlands. A nation was formed, Israel. The Hyksos and pastoral nomads of the Canaanite highlands became the Israelites.


The Origins of Yahwism

The Origins of Yahwism

Author: Jürgen van Oorschot

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2017-06-26

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 3110447118

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This compendium examines the origins of the God Yahweh, his place in the Syrian-Palestinian and Northern Arabian pantheon during the bronze and iron ages, and the beginnings of the cultic veneration of Yahweh. Contributors analyze the epigraphic and archeological evidence, apply fundamental considerations from the cultural and religious sciences, and analyze the relevant Old Testament texts.


Book Synopsis The Origins of Yahwism by : Jürgen van Oorschot

Download or read book The Origins of Yahwism written by Jürgen van Oorschot and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2017-06-26 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This compendium examines the origins of the God Yahweh, his place in the Syrian-Palestinian and Northern Arabian pantheon during the bronze and iron ages, and the beginnings of the cultic veneration of Yahweh. Contributors analyze the epigraphic and archeological evidence, apply fundamental considerations from the cultural and religious sciences, and analyze the relevant Old Testament texts.


Elijah, Yahweh, and Baal

Elijah, Yahweh, and Baal

Author: Hermann Gunkel

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2014-11-18

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 1498201873

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"Elijah, Yahweh, and Baal is a masterpiece presented with authority by a twentieth-century accomplished and unsurpassed exegete. It is now translated by a disciple, whose elegant rendition sounds as if Hermann Gunkel had originally written himself the book in English." --Andre LaCocque, The Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL "Written a century ago for a church audience eager to learn how the best scholarship of the day could illuminate one of the Bible's most absorbing stories, this little book shows Gunkel at the height of his powers of critical perspicuity, explanatory finesse, and reverent sensitivity, the ideal Bible study leader, at once learned, captivating, and devout. . . . Moreover, Gunkel encompasses his subject as few today could or would in such short scope, combining philological acumen, aesthetic appreciation, comparative perspective, and attention to communal folk tradition--his pioneer distinction--and constants of human religiosity. The translation includes astute notes by the editor and a helpful list of more recent resources." --Robert B. Coote, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Francisco, CA "Hermann Gunkel, who died in 1932, is one of the greatest teachers and 'God-Fathers' of Old Testament study. He has taught us the most about the artistic, imaginative dimensions of the text. His interpretation of the Elijah narrative in this volume is a treasure that merits continuing attention. We may be grateful indeed to K. C. Hanson for bringing it to us in English, and to Wipf and Stock for its publication. Gunkel continues to be our teacher and 'God-Father' in wise shrewd reading of the text." --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA


Book Synopsis Elijah, Yahweh, and Baal by : Hermann Gunkel

Download or read book Elijah, Yahweh, and Baal written by Hermann Gunkel and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2014-11-18 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Elijah, Yahweh, and Baal is a masterpiece presented with authority by a twentieth-century accomplished and unsurpassed exegete. It is now translated by a disciple, whose elegant rendition sounds as if Hermann Gunkel had originally written himself the book in English." --Andre LaCocque, The Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL "Written a century ago for a church audience eager to learn how the best scholarship of the day could illuminate one of the Bible's most absorbing stories, this little book shows Gunkel at the height of his powers of critical perspicuity, explanatory finesse, and reverent sensitivity, the ideal Bible study leader, at once learned, captivating, and devout. . . . Moreover, Gunkel encompasses his subject as few today could or would in such short scope, combining philological acumen, aesthetic appreciation, comparative perspective, and attention to communal folk tradition--his pioneer distinction--and constants of human religiosity. The translation includes astute notes by the editor and a helpful list of more recent resources." --Robert B. Coote, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Francisco, CA "Hermann Gunkel, who died in 1932, is one of the greatest teachers and 'God-Fathers' of Old Testament study. He has taught us the most about the artistic, imaginative dimensions of the text. His interpretation of the Elijah narrative in this volume is a treasure that merits continuing attention. We may be grateful indeed to K. C. Hanson for bringing it to us in English, and to Wipf and Stock for its publication. Gunkel continues to be our teacher and 'God-Father' in wise shrewd reading of the text." --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA


The Religion of Ancient Israel

The Religion of Ancient Israel

Author: Patrick D. Miller

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 9780664221454

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The historical and literary questions about ancient Israel that traditionally have preoccupied biblical scholars have often overlooked the social realities of life experienced by the vast majority of the population of ancient Israel. Volumes in the Library of Ancient Israel draw on multiple disciplines -- such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and literary criticism -- to illumine the everyday realities and social subtleties these ancient cultures experienced. This series employs sophisticated methods resulting in original contributions that depict the reality of the people behind the Hebrew Bible and interprets these scholarly insights for a wide variety of readers. Individually and collectively, these books will expand our vision of the culture and society of ancient Israel, thereby generating new appreciation for its impact up to the present.Patrick Miller investigates the role religion played in an expanding circle of influences in ancient Israel: the family, village, tribe, and nation-state. He situates Israel's religion in context where a variety of social forces affected beliefs, and where popular cults openly competed with the "official" religion. Miller makes extensive use of both epigraphic and artefactual evidence as he deftly probes the complexities of Iron Age culture and society and their enduring significance for people today.


Book Synopsis The Religion of Ancient Israel by : Patrick D. Miller

Download or read book The Religion of Ancient Israel written by Patrick D. Miller and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The historical and literary questions about ancient Israel that traditionally have preoccupied biblical scholars have often overlooked the social realities of life experienced by the vast majority of the population of ancient Israel. Volumes in the Library of Ancient Israel draw on multiple disciplines -- such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and literary criticism -- to illumine the everyday realities and social subtleties these ancient cultures experienced. This series employs sophisticated methods resulting in original contributions that depict the reality of the people behind the Hebrew Bible and interprets these scholarly insights for a wide variety of readers. Individually and collectively, these books will expand our vision of the culture and society of ancient Israel, thereby generating new appreciation for its impact up to the present.Patrick Miller investigates the role religion played in an expanding circle of influences in ancient Israel: the family, village, tribe, and nation-state. He situates Israel's religion in context where a variety of social forces affected beliefs, and where popular cults openly competed with the "official" religion. Miller makes extensive use of both epigraphic and artefactual evidence as he deftly probes the complexities of Iron Age culture and society and their enduring significance for people today.