A Passion for Cultural Difference. Archaeology and Ethnicity of the Southern Levant

The use of ethnicity as a concept in archaeology and the implications of applying it to archaeological material in the Southern Levant are studied in this article. On the basis of recent developments within the modern state of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, the discussiotan focuses on the Iron Age and the identification of early Israelite sites in the 12th century BC. Despite theoretical achievements and methodological problems with the construction of identities, an extreme focus on differentiation is maintained. It is suggested that it is possible to study prehistoric periods with reference to social dynamics and ethnicity, incorporating a social world. Using ethnicity as a concept also raises fundamentally moral and ethical issues of how to practise archaeology.