Killebrew, Ann E. Biblical Peoples and Ethnicity: An Archaeological Study of Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, and Early Israel, 1300-1100 B.C.E.

• Author: Mills, Edward J., III
• Position: Book review

Killebrew, Ann E. Biblical Peoples and Ethnicity: An Archaeological Study of Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, and Early Israel, 1300-1100 B.C.E. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005. xx + 362 pages. Paper, $39.95. (Cloth edition: Brill, 2005, $164.00.)

Ann E. Killebrew has written a masterful synthesis of enormous amounts of data derived from literary, linguistic, epigraphic, archaeological, and other sources from the last century of research in a quite measured and always respectful tone (which has often not been the case in this field of study). Hers is a marvelous book, somewhere between a primer for college undergraduates and a monograph for specialists. Perhaps the most important gifts that this book brings to the table are its detailed footnotes and extensive bibliography.

Killebrew's book is divided into a long, chapter-length introduction and six chapters. The introduction sets up the rest of her work and needs to be read carefully in order to absorb the remainder of her work fruitfully. In it, she gives a short review of the evolution of the study of the biblical texts over the last century as well as what was once called Biblical Archaeology, now Near Eastern Archaeology. She then discusses the complex history of, and current theoretical approaches to, the issue of ethnicity. Specifically, she addresses the very thorny issue of exactly how much ethnicity may be postulated from the material culture that is uncovered by archaeology. She sums up her position by stating, "Nevertheless, the term (ethnicity) remains elusive and contested, with a multitude of definitions reflecting the diversity and broad spectrum of conditions encompassed by the concept of ethnicity. I begin with a basic definition of ethnicity as 'group identity'" (p. 8).

Archaeologist William G. Dever, in his review of Killebrew's work, criticizes her definition of ethnicity as "a bit simplistic.'" However, for her purposes, I believe that a simple and concise definition works. It allows her to leave the minutia of scholarly debate regarding ethnicity behind and attempt to posit that one can, in fact, sort out the ethnic boundaries of the four "peoples" she examines through their material culture in conjunction with a careful analysis of the biblical record, the known historical and epigraphic record, and other sources.

In Chapter 1, "The Age of Internationalism," Killebrew draws an accurate and vivid picture of the interconnected and internationalist...