Camels in the Biblical World

Martin Heide; Joris Peters

Published by Penn State University Press 2021

Camels in the Biblical World

Martin Heide and Joris Peters

Volume 10 in the series History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781646021703

Overview
Contents

About this book

Camels are first mentioned in the Bible as the movable property of Abraham. During the early monarchy, they feature prominently as long-distance mounts for the Queen of Sheba, and almost a millennium later, the Gospels tell us about the impossibility of a camel passing through a needle’s eye. Given the limited extrabiblical evidence for camels before circa 1000 BCE, a thorough investigation of the spatio-temporal history of the camel in the ancient Near and Middle East is necessary to understand their early appearance in the Hebrew Bible.

Camels in the Biblical World is a two-part study that charts the cultural trajectories of two domestic species—the two-humped or Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and the one-humped or Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius)—from the fourth through first millennium BCE and up to the first century CE. Drawing on archaeological camel remains, iconography, inscriptions, and other text sources, the first part reappraises the published data on the species’ domestication and early exploitation in their respective regions of origin. The second part takes a critical look at the various references to camels in the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels, providing a detailed philological analysis of each text and referring to archaeological data and zoological observations whenever appropriate.

A state-of-the-art evaluation of the cultural history of the camel and its role in the biblical world, this volume brings the humanities into dialogue with the natural sciences. The novel insights here serve scholars in disciplines as diverse as biblical studies, (zoo)archaeology, history, and philology.

Author / Editor information

Heide Martin :

Martin Heide is Associate Professor of Semitic Languages at the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Philipps-Universität Marburg.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Foreword Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Chapter 1 Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2 Old World Camelids Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	6
Chapter 3 Zooarchaeological, Iconographic, and Textual Evidence for the Presence of Camels in the Biblical World and Adjacent Regions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	27
Chapter 4 Camels in the Patriarchal Narratives and Israel’s Early History Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193
Chapter 5 Camels in the United and Divided Kingdoms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	259
Chapter 6 Camels in the Prophets and Other Writings Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	282
Chapter 7 Camels in the Gospels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	296
Chapter 8 Domestic Camels in the Biblical World: Summary and Conclusions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	301
Chapter 9 Epilogue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	312
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	315
Index of Ancient Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	395
Index of Animals Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	399
Index of Proper Names Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	403
Index of Terms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	407

Language: English
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 432
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 65
- Images: 65
- Other: 65 illustrations
Keywords: Bactrian Camel; Dromedary; Camel Domestication; Camel Cultural History; Camels in cuneiform inscriptions; Camels in the Bible; the Camel in zooarchaeological research

eBook

Published: July 20, 2021
ISBN: 9781646021703