As stated in the preface, In Search for Aram and Israel: Politics, Culture, and Identity is a collection of essays presented at a 2014 colloquium in Heidelberg. The book consists of 18 articles divided into three sections: Aramaean political relations and borders with Israel, Aramaean material culture, and Aramaean identity. Abstracts are provided in the preface, so in this review each article will be summarized in brief, while particular attention will be given to articles concerning methodology.
Omer Sergi and Izaak J. de Hulster (“Some Historical and Methodological Considerations Regarding the Question of Political, Social and Cultural Interaction between Aram and Israel in the Early Iron Age”) introduce this volume with a methodological discussion, summarizing the evidence for the origins of the Aramaeans and the challenges in relating their terminological designation to Aram’s political identity and borders. They point out the fluidity of political borders and the distinction between the...
