Books by Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò
The book focuses on the intercultural relations of Judeans in and outside Palestine (6th to 2nd c... more The book focuses on the intercultural relations of Judeans in and outside Palestine (6th to 2nd century BCE). The case studies written by historians, biblical scholars, archaeologists and papyrologists concern topics like interreligious influences, questions of social connectivity, material culture, literary practices and reactions to the policies of imperial elites. This volume provides material for further interdisciplinary studies, especially in relation to Judean/Jewish history and intercultural relations in the ancient Mediterranean.
Series: Philippika - Altertumskundliche Abhandlungen 118; 468 pages;, 2018
The end of the Bronze Age and beginning of the Iron Age was the period of a historical turning po... more The end of the Bronze Age and beginning of the Iron Age was the period of a historical turning point for the relationship of the Aegean and the Levant. The two regions were closely related to each other and benefited mutually in this period. The transmission of the alphabet from the East to Greece and the appearance of Mycenaean-style pottery in the East illustrate the cultural borrowings in both directions.
The volume presents updated studies on both regions and questions of bilateral relationships regarding archaeological, historical and linguistic aspects. These studies shed light on the pivotal periods of both regions: when Greek poleis were formed, with the culture related to it, and when the political and social situation in the Levant took its form, influencing the entire first millennium BCE.
In the linguistic part, the volume includes papers showing possible linguistic relations and mutual borrowings in the triangle of Semitic, Greek and Anatolian languages. In the archaeological and historical parts, the studies deal both with case studies from Anatolia, Greece and Palestine and the synthetic issues regarding the ‘big’ questions. The book also presents the possible benefits of the usage of scientific methods in historical reconstruction – analysis of isotopes and ancient DNA samples. These new techniques offer a useful tool, expanding our way of exploring the past.
In the 12th century BCE revolutionary changes and major population movements took place in the ea... more In the 12th century BCE revolutionary changes and major population movements took place in the eastern Mediterranean. One element of this complex process was the appearance of the warlike Sea Peoples on the coast of the Middle East. Among the groups that we know of the most important seem to be Philistines. It is no accident that the name of the region - Palestine - comes precisely from this ethnonym.
The book examines the impact of the Sea Peoples, especially the Philistines, on the local population, and on the Hebrews in particular. To determine the chronological sequence, the first part presents the biblical narrative in a synthetic way, and thus the Philistines’ role in the history of Israel and Judah. These considerations complement the study of geography, in which toponyms are discussed to establish a range of the Philistines’ impact. Concerning the likely duration of an impact of the Philistines on the Hebrews, two periods were suggested: the early Iron Age (ca. 1150-900 BCE) and the domination of Assyria (ca. 750-650 BCE). The second part of the book discusses the culture of the Hebrews, known from the Bible, which may have its roots in the Philistines’ heritage. These phenomena are divided into thematic groups.
The impact of the Philistines on the Hebrews was much larger than previously thought, and it was not connected only with Judah’s and Israel’s response to the presence of a hostile neighbor. Several components of Hebrew culture and some literary motifs in the Bible seem to derive specifically from the Philistines’ culture.
"The book examines biblical narratives describing the origins of holy places other than Jerusalem... more "The book examines biblical narratives describing the origins of holy places other than Jerusalem. The accounts are examined with three main questions in mind: 1. are there any common features in biblical accounts about the foundations of places of worship; 2. are there any particular elements in the aetiological stories that can show anything about the 'real' mythology and/or rituals of the sanctuary; and 3. what were the circumstances of the creation of such narratives?
The answer for the first question is positive, i.e., the stories of the origins of holy places contain the elements relevant to local cult and rituals, e.g.: the grave, altar, sacrifice practice, tree, etc. Answering the second question revealed possible reconstructions of a few cult practices (e.g.: in Beer-Sheba, Hebron and Shechem). The third question, about the possible dates of the narratives, provided some new insights. The assumption was made that the stories of the origins of holy places could have been created only when the sanctuary existed. If so, the archaeological data point to the 10th - 9th century BCE and the 3rd -2nd century BCE as possible points of origin. Such possibilities incline the author to advance the hypothesis of Hellenistic origins or redaction of most of the examined aetiological narratives."
Książka dotyczy opowieści mitycznych o początkach miejsc uznawanych w tradycji biblijnej za święt... more Książka dotyczy opowieści mitycznych o początkach miejsc uznawanych w tradycji biblijnej za święte. Nie jest to jednak studium archeologiczne mające na celu prześledzenie dziejów i form kultu. Praca łączy elementy biblistyki, historii oraz religioznawstwa. Analiza wątków mitycznych, znajdujących się w Starym Testamencie i wykorzystanych do opisu początków takich miejsc świętych, jak: Beer-Szeba, Betel, Dan, Ofra czy Sychem, pozwoliła autorowi na wyciągnięcie ogólnych wniosków dotyczących gatunku i funkcji mitów opowiadających o początkach miejsc świętych. Autor poświęca również dużo miejsca analizie mitów, rekonstrukcji rytuałów i pierwotnego panteonu bóstw czczonych w starożytnej Palestynie. Omówienie wątków mitycznych, związanych z początkiem miejsc świętych, wnosi nowe argumenty do dyskusji o istnieniu w starożytnej Palestynie - poza Jerozolimą - wielu miejsc kultu.
Działalność "Obywateli Nauki" wsparła Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego, dzięki pośrednictwu Instytut... more Działalność "Obywateli Nauki" wsparła Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego, dzięki pośrednictwu Instytutu Systemów, w formie grantu w programie "Demokracja w działaniu" (edycja 2013) w kwocie 96 000 zł.
Papers by Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò
In: Ł. Niesiołowski–Spanò, K. Ziemba (eds), Contact Zones in the Eastern Mediterranean. Judeans and their neighbours in intercultural contexts: places, middlemen, transcultural contacts – sixth to second century BCE, (Mundus Orientis, 5), Göttingen, 2024
Rocznik Teologiczny LXV, 2, 199–247, 2023
Tekst dotyczy zjawiska wpływów kultur Mezopotamii i Grecji w tekstach Biblii hebrajskiej. Skupia ... more Tekst dotyczy zjawiska wpływów kultur Mezopotamii i Grecji w tekstach Biblii hebrajskiej. Skupia się na kontekstach transferu kulturowego. Pierwszy dotyczy wpływów mezopotamskiej tradycji prawnej na teksty biblijne. Drugi, zapożyczania przez autorów biblijnych wzorców zaczerpniętych z greckiej tradycji literackiej, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem historiografii. Autorzy dyskutują możliwe warunki kontaktu Judejczyków z kulturą mezopotamską i grecką oraz proponują okresy, w których transfer kulturowy z tych rejonów do Palestyny wydaje się być najbardziej prawdopodobny.
The paper addresses the question of Mesopotamian and Greek influences
on the Hebrew Bible. The text focuses on two possible contexts of cultural
transfer. The first part deals with the impact of Mesopotamian legal tradition on biblical texts. The second part presents the survey of the question of the influence of Greek literary patterns (in particular: historiography) on Biblical traditions. Authors discuss possible contexts of contact between the Judeans and Mesopotamian/Greek cultures and propose periods when cultural transfer from these regions to Palestine seems to be most plausible.
Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, 2023
The prefix "proto", originally from the Greek, carries several meanings, including first, earlies... more The prefix "proto", originally from the Greek, carries several meanings, including first, earliest, original and primitive. A "prototype" is the first or original type, and "proto" may indicate something in the way of becoming. In this article we offer a critical review of the history and uses of the term "proto-Israelites" in biblical and archaeological studies since 1943. The prehistory of 'early Israel' has shrunk from the Early Bronze to the Iron Age, but the use of "proto-Israel" has grown since the 1990s, tied to issues of historicity and ethnicity. "Proto-Israelite" is a misleading term. It enables scholars to re-find a united, ethnic Israel, by projecting it onto the past in disguise, as "proto-Israel". There are no "proto-people" that carry "proto-ethnicity". The use of "proto-Israelites" serves modern ideologies. We suggest more neutral terms, which do not beg the question whether an Israelite ethnic community existed, or can be identified in material remains of the Iron Age I.
ACADEMIA. Magazyn Polskiej Akademii Nauk, 2023
Biblia jest przykładem długiej transmisji tekstu, której towarzyszyły „zanieczyszczenia” wynikają... more Biblia jest przykładem długiej transmisji tekstu, której towarzyszyły „zanieczyszczenia” wynikające m.in. z jego wyjątkowej roli.
Academia - The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 2023
The Bible is an example of long-term textual transmission in which "contaminations" result, in pa... more The Bible is an example of long-term textual transmission in which "contaminations" result, in part, from the unique role of the text itself.
Klio. Czasopismo poświęcone dziejom Polski i powszechnym, 66 (2)/2023, 169–184, 2023
Palamedes. A Journal of Anciet History, 2020
The article juxtaposes the process of law codification that took place in Rome in the mid-5th cen... more The article juxtaposes the process of law codification that took place in Rome in the mid-5th century BCE under the so-called Law of the Twelve Tables and the codification of law that took place around the same time in Palestine, known as Deuteronomy. According to the reconstruction of events in Rome, the codification of laws involved an attempt to limit the judicial omnipotence of the elite, due to pressure from a new elite that sought to diminish the power of the old elite. The text asks whether analogous political mechanisms could have led to the codification of law in the form of Deuteronomy, and if so, how to define the group whose judicial omnipotence would be curtailed.
The Sea Peoples and the Conquest of Canaan: Aspects of Early Iron Age Mediterranean Migration The... more The Sea Peoples and the Conquest of Canaan: Aspects of Early Iron Age Mediterranean Migration The text presents issues related to the migration of the people originating from the Aegean region, at the end of the Mycenaean period, to the Near East at the turn of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Groups which undertook migrations from the Mycenaean world to Canaan are discussed. The ancient sources refer to several groups, including Sherdan, Danun, Peleshet, Tjeker. The text indicates the probable routes by which these migrations took place. Issues concerning sources-both ancient texts and archaeological data, including aDNA-allowing reconstruction of the routes and range of these migrations are also analysed.
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Books by Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò
The volume presents updated studies on both regions and questions of bilateral relationships regarding archaeological, historical and linguistic aspects. These studies shed light on the pivotal periods of both regions: when Greek poleis were formed, with the culture related to it, and when the political and social situation in the Levant took its form, influencing the entire first millennium BCE.
In the linguistic part, the volume includes papers showing possible linguistic relations and mutual borrowings in the triangle of Semitic, Greek and Anatolian languages. In the archaeological and historical parts, the studies deal both with case studies from Anatolia, Greece and Palestine and the synthetic issues regarding the ‘big’ questions. The book also presents the possible benefits of the usage of scientific methods in historical reconstruction – analysis of isotopes and ancient DNA samples. These new techniques offer a useful tool, expanding our way of exploring the past.
The book examines the impact of the Sea Peoples, especially the Philistines, on the local population, and on the Hebrews in particular. To determine the chronological sequence, the first part presents the biblical narrative in a synthetic way, and thus the Philistines’ role in the history of Israel and Judah. These considerations complement the study of geography, in which toponyms are discussed to establish a range of the Philistines’ impact. Concerning the likely duration of an impact of the Philistines on the Hebrews, two periods were suggested: the early Iron Age (ca. 1150-900 BCE) and the domination of Assyria (ca. 750-650 BCE). The second part of the book discusses the culture of the Hebrews, known from the Bible, which may have its roots in the Philistines’ heritage. These phenomena are divided into thematic groups.
The impact of the Philistines on the Hebrews was much larger than previously thought, and it was not connected only with Judah’s and Israel’s response to the presence of a hostile neighbor. Several components of Hebrew culture and some literary motifs in the Bible seem to derive specifically from the Philistines’ culture.
The answer for the first question is positive, i.e., the stories of the origins of holy places contain the elements relevant to local cult and rituals, e.g.: the grave, altar, sacrifice practice, tree, etc. Answering the second question revealed possible reconstructions of a few cult practices (e.g.: in Beer-Sheba, Hebron and Shechem). The third question, about the possible dates of the narratives, provided some new insights. The assumption was made that the stories of the origins of holy places could have been created only when the sanctuary existed. If so, the archaeological data point to the 10th - 9th century BCE and the 3rd -2nd century BCE as possible points of origin. Such possibilities incline the author to advance the hypothesis of Hellenistic origins or redaction of most of the examined aetiological narratives."
Papers by Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò
The paper addresses the question of Mesopotamian and Greek influences
on the Hebrew Bible. The text focuses on two possible contexts of cultural
transfer. The first part deals with the impact of Mesopotamian legal tradition on biblical texts. The second part presents the survey of the question of the influence of Greek literary patterns (in particular: historiography) on Biblical traditions. Authors discuss possible contexts of contact between the Judeans and Mesopotamian/Greek cultures and propose periods when cultural transfer from these regions to Palestine seems to be most plausible.
The volume presents updated studies on both regions and questions of bilateral relationships regarding archaeological, historical and linguistic aspects. These studies shed light on the pivotal periods of both regions: when Greek poleis were formed, with the culture related to it, and when the political and social situation in the Levant took its form, influencing the entire first millennium BCE.
In the linguistic part, the volume includes papers showing possible linguistic relations and mutual borrowings in the triangle of Semitic, Greek and Anatolian languages. In the archaeological and historical parts, the studies deal both with case studies from Anatolia, Greece and Palestine and the synthetic issues regarding the ‘big’ questions. The book also presents the possible benefits of the usage of scientific methods in historical reconstruction – analysis of isotopes and ancient DNA samples. These new techniques offer a useful tool, expanding our way of exploring the past.
The book examines the impact of the Sea Peoples, especially the Philistines, on the local population, and on the Hebrews in particular. To determine the chronological sequence, the first part presents the biblical narrative in a synthetic way, and thus the Philistines’ role in the history of Israel and Judah. These considerations complement the study of geography, in which toponyms are discussed to establish a range of the Philistines’ impact. Concerning the likely duration of an impact of the Philistines on the Hebrews, two periods were suggested: the early Iron Age (ca. 1150-900 BCE) and the domination of Assyria (ca. 750-650 BCE). The second part of the book discusses the culture of the Hebrews, known from the Bible, which may have its roots in the Philistines’ heritage. These phenomena are divided into thematic groups.
The impact of the Philistines on the Hebrews was much larger than previously thought, and it was not connected only with Judah’s and Israel’s response to the presence of a hostile neighbor. Several components of Hebrew culture and some literary motifs in the Bible seem to derive specifically from the Philistines’ culture.
The answer for the first question is positive, i.e., the stories of the origins of holy places contain the elements relevant to local cult and rituals, e.g.: the grave, altar, sacrifice practice, tree, etc. Answering the second question revealed possible reconstructions of a few cult practices (e.g.: in Beer-Sheba, Hebron and Shechem). The third question, about the possible dates of the narratives, provided some new insights. The assumption was made that the stories of the origins of holy places could have been created only when the sanctuary existed. If so, the archaeological data point to the 10th - 9th century BCE and the 3rd -2nd century BCE as possible points of origin. Such possibilities incline the author to advance the hypothesis of Hellenistic origins or redaction of most of the examined aetiological narratives."
The paper addresses the question of Mesopotamian and Greek influences
on the Hebrew Bible. The text focuses on two possible contexts of cultural
transfer. The first part deals with the impact of Mesopotamian legal tradition on biblical texts. The second part presents the survey of the question of the influence of Greek literary patterns (in particular: historiography) on Biblical traditions. Authors discuss possible contexts of contact between the Judeans and Mesopotamian/Greek cultures and propose periods when cultural transfer from these regions to Palestine seems to be most plausible.
The paper aims to show the possibilities of usage of an alternative meaning of ethnic descriptors, to describe the realities of ancient Palestine in I Millennium BCE. The term of ‘functional ethnicity’ will be proposed. This term is understood as the category of group-description, in their relations to different sources of social power (economic, military, religious, etc.), and not as the result of self-consciousness of groups. ‘Functional ethnicity’ used to describe the society of Ancient Palestine may help in our understanding of these groups, and their interrelations. Examples used in the presentation will deal with Israelites, proto- Israelites, Judahites and Philistines.
This paper proposes a new view of the circumstances in which Judah arose as a new political unit.
Presentazione dei curatori del volume, Chiara Peri e Lukasz Niesiolowski-Spano
Interventi
History and Ideology in Today’s Biblical Studies, Thomas Thompson dell'Università di Copenhagen
Ognuno ha il suo Giovanni Garbini. I molteplici percorsi della ricerca scientifica garbiniana, Fabrizio Pennacchietti, Università di Torino
Conclusioni di Giovanni Garbini