Philistine figurines and figurines in Philistia in the Iron Age

The dissertation is a study of a group of terracotta figurines--those found in Philistia and dating to the Iron Age (c. 1200-600 BCE). Previously scholars have focused on this group of figurines only intermittently, and none has made a comprehensive study and analysis of the material. This survey and update of previous research is particularly valuable now, as new material found over the last two decades (above all those recovered by the Leon Levy Expediton to Ashkelon, as well as from Tel Miqne-Ekron and the ongoing excavations at Tell es[dotbelow]-S[dotbelow]afi) allows for a more thorough understanding of the corpus. An introductory section deals with theoretical and methodological issues not generally addressed in figurine studies; it is argued that the lack of attention to such issues has had a negative impact on the results of the scholarship. After a survey of the previous research on Philistine figurines, a revised methodology for figurine studies is offered, based on the strengths and weaknesses of prior research. The figurine study proper is composed of three basic parts. First is a catalogue of the as-yet unpublished figurine corpus from Ashkelon: at over 200 figurines, this is one of the key sets of figurines in the region. This is followed by a full typology covering all of the figurines of Philistia, using the catalogue and a comparison with figurines from other sites. Finally, the study includes a discussion of more general questions relating to the figurines and Philistine culture. These include the meaning and function of the figurines, based on the types, their contexts, and their iconography, as well as how the figurines relate to Philistia as a cultural area--both the degree of its homogeneity and its relationship to surrounding regions--and how these characteristics change over time.