Changes and Continuities in the Levant (ca. 1300-900 BCE): A Socio-Political Synthesis

Abstract

Between 1300 and 900 BCE the regions of Syria and Palestine experienced a series of disruptions and rearrangements, especially in the political scene. Further, the traditionally accepted historiographical view indicates that a radical change in socio-political structures occurred, marking a transition from territorial polities to “national” or ethnic polities. The discussion offered in this paper aims at challenging such a view and observing the fundamental permanence, after the twelfth century crisis, of hierarchical structures based on kinship and patronage; socio-political structures which informed the basic internal and external dynamics of the local kingdoms. Lastly, it is presented a hypothesis concerning the relevance of political attachment and subordination for the creation of ethnic identities in the Iron Age Levant.