Ancient Cult and Modern Methods: Unearthing the Religions of Ancient Israel and the Surrounding Cultures

Dear Colleagues,

Religion and concepts of the divine have been at the center of study within the archaeological scholarship of ancient Israel and its environs since W.F. Albright headed to Palestine for his first excavations and G.E. Wright began publishing Biblical Archaeologist to keep scholars abreast of archaeological discoveries relevant to biblical studies. The study of the religions and ritual lives of the people of the Levant during the Iron Age has remained a topic rife for scholarship. The prevailing motives of those interested in the Bible and archaeology have shifted in this time from a desire to “prove” the historical accuracy and integrity of the biblical accounts to a desire to better understand the foundations of modern monotheistic religions and the reality of worship in the past, both in and beyond what is known from the Bible. Scholars have considered and studied biblical and extra-biblical texts, inscriptions, architectural remains, foodways, and artifact assemblages as a way to better understand ancient religions.

In this Special Issue, we look into the study of religion and ritual in the Iron Age I and II (ca. 1200–586 BCE) in Israel itself and in the environs, including the wider Levant and southwest Asia. We welcome studies that are taking new looks at this important time period, using fresh eyes and methodologies to explore an old topic that is ripe for revisiting after a century of scholarship. Beyond what is known from the texts, what can we know about the personal space of religion and ritual? How did domestic religion differ from that of the larger centralized institutions, as represented in monumental or dedicated structures? How did religious practices differ between the various cultures of the Levant in this time period and what did they share?

We welcome contributions that consider questions of the place of domestic religion versus state or centralized religion, the place of religious ceremony in terms of burial practices, personal religion via the study of names and naming practices, iconographic representations of the divine, or even the meaning of ritual and religion in feasting practices or psychotropic ritual practices to reach the divine. How can older records be revisited via new studies utilizing databases and GIS? Through this Special Issue, we hope to find new methods to add to our knowledge of this time period and the people who lived and worshiped.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Iron II national religions
• Levantine ritual practices (Northern and Southern Levant, Iron I or Iron II);
• Archaeology, philology, sociology, history;
• Domestic religion, public religion, burial practices, personal religion (names), iconographic representations of the divine, feasting and dietary patterns, psychotropic ritual practices, and data analysis.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 150–200 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Dr. Stephanie Selover ([email protected]) and Dr. Monique Roddy ([email protected]), and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Joyce Xi ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purpose of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blinded peer-review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Stephanie Selover
Dr. Monique Roddy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Israel
• Levant
• Iron Age I
• Iron Age II
• religious architecture
• religious practices
• feasting
• material culture of religion