Archaeology

Abstract

This chapter considers ancient Jewish ritual and practice through the lens of material culture. Its focus is on three areas of inquiry: the archaeology of Jewish pilgrimage; the archaeology of bodily practice, including purification, eating practices, and mortuary customs; and the archaeology of the communal gathering at the synagogue. The material remains drawn upon for the discussion derive primarily, though not exclusively, from Israel-Palestine of the Roman and Byzantine periods, namely the first century BCE through the sixth century CE. The chapter seeks to shed light on the embodied, sensory, and experiential elements of early Judaism, subjects at the intersection of materiality and religious studies. It is also indebted to a reframing of ritual studies toward approaches emphasizing the lived experience of ritual agents.