“Advances a series of new interpretations on Near Eastern and biblical data and readdresses old problems, and for those reasons alone, it should be said from the outset, scholars of the ancient Levant should read and attend carefully to this work.”—Emanuel Pfoh Review of Biblical Literature

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionPart 1 The Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age LevantSetting the Context of the Late Bronze Age Levant: Defining Policies and PerceptionsCities of the Southern LevantLands of the Southern LevantOther Categories of People in the Land: The Sutû and the ’apîrûPart 2 Two Case Studies on the Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age Levant: The Land of Amurru and the Land of ShechemTracing the Political Trajectory of the Land of AmurruThe House of Lab’ayu and the Land of ShechemThe Land of Shechem in the longue duréeThe Land before the Rise of IsraelPart 3 The Transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron I and the Rise of Early IsraelSetting the Context of Premonarchic IsraelShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The King and the CollectiveShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The Shechemite Identity, the Identity of Shechem, and Identity in IsraelReflections of the Multipolity Decentralized Nature of Early IsraelConclusion: From Decentralization to Centralization and Back: Israel’s Return to Its RootsBibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Other Ancient Sources

“Advances a series of new interpretations on Near Eastern and biblical data and readdresses old problems, and for those reasons alone, it should be said from the outset, scholars of the ancient Levant should read and attend carefully to this work.”—Emanuel Pfoh Review of Biblical Literature

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionPart 1 The Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age LevantSetting the Context of the Late Bronze Age Levant: Defining Policies and PerceptionsCities of the Southern LevantLands of the Southern LevantOther Categories of People in the Land: The Sutû and the ’apîrûPart 2 Two Case Studies on the Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age Levant: The Land of Amurru and the Land of ShechemTracing the Political Trajectory of the Land of AmurruThe House of Lab’ayu and the Land of ShechemThe Land of Shechem in the longue duréeThe Land before the Rise of IsraelPart 3 The Transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron I and the Rise of Early IsraelSetting the Context of Premonarchic IsraelShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The King and the CollectiveShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The Shechemite Identity, the Identity of Shechem, and Identity in IsraelReflections of the Multipolity Decentralized Nature of Early IsraelConclusion: From Decentralization to Centralization and Back: Israel’s Return to Its RootsBibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Other Ancient Sources

“Advances a series of new interpretations on Near Eastern and biblical data and readdresses old problems, and for those reasons alone, it should be said from the outset, scholars of the ancient Levant should read and attend carefully to this work.”—Emanuel Pfoh Review of Biblical Literature

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionPart 1 The Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age LevantSetting the Context of the Late Bronze Age Levant: Defining Policies and PerceptionsCities of the Southern LevantLands of the Southern LevantOther Categories of People in the Land: The Sutû and the ’apîrûPart 2 Two Case Studies on the Varieties of Sociopolitical Experience in the Late Bronze Age Levant: The Land of Amurru and the Land of ShechemTracing the Political Trajectory of the Land of AmurruThe House of Lab’ayu and the Land of ShechemThe Land of Shechem in the longue duréeThe Land before the Rise of IsraelPart 3 The Transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron I and the Rise of Early IsraelSetting the Context of Premonarchic IsraelShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The King and the CollectiveShechem, Israel, and the Historical Memories in Judges 9: The Shechemite Identity, the Identity of Shechem, and Identity in IsraelReflections of the Multipolity Decentralized Nature of Early IsraelConclusion: From Decentralization to Centralization and Back: Israel’s Return to Its RootsBibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Other Ancient Sources