American Journal of Archaeology

112.2

Cooking Identites: Aegean-Style Cooking Jugs and Cultural Interaction in Iron Age Philistia and Neighboring Regions

David Ben-Shlomo, Itzhaq Shai, Alexander Zukerman, and Aren M. Maeir

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Soot marks on a cooking jug

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This study presents an analysis of various aspects relating to the changes in cooking vessels during the Iron Age in Philistia and the southern Levant, with particular emphasis on the morphology, manufacturing technology, and regional distribution of cooking jugs. We have combined archaeological data and petrographic analyses to evaluate the technological aspects of these vessels. It is argued that cooking jugs, while first appearing in Philistia, subsequently spread to other regions and cultures. The relationship of this process of dissemination to other factors, such as economic and social changes in the southern Levant, is discussed, and it is argued that the possible incorporation of Philistine cooking practices into the neighboring Iron Age cultures may have implications for understanding the multifaceted, if at times ambiguous, relationships between the Philistines and their neighbors.

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