Ethnicity in Archaeology: A case for Khirbet Kerak Ware in the Southern Levant

Abstract

Archaeological studies of ethnicity and identity have gained increasing momentum in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This thesis is a critical examination of differing approaches to the interpretation of material culture in the detection of sociocultural identities. Theorisation in this field has often occurred in lieu of developing practical frameworks of analysis that are applicable to the material record. The lack of clarity arising from recurrent use of subjective concepts such as „ethnic identity‟ and „archaeological subject‟ without adequately defining these terms further hinders such studies. Instead, transparency and holism are paramount in considering archaeological identities due to the influential nature of the contexts in which the researcher and research subject are situated. This approach is particularly pertinent in the study of Khirbet Kerak Ware, a handmade and highly burnished red/ black ceramic occurring in a core morphological range in the Early Bronze III Southern Levant. Khirbet Kerak Ware differs in typology, decoration and manufacturing technique from other Southern Levantine pottery and does not demonstrate ceramic development in this region, indicating its foreign nature. Accordingly, trade, diffusion and migration have been proposed as possible mechanisms for the dissemination of Khirbet Kerak Ware. In particular, strong parallels have been noted between Khirbet Kerak Ware and the Kura-Araxes cultural complex of Anatolia and the Transcaucasus. This thesis provides insight into the Khirbet Kerak Ware phenomenon by investigating its origins and role within Southern Levantine society in a situational approach that aims to overcome many of the shortcomings of previous studies into archaeological ethnicity.