This book examines migration and colonialism in the ancient Near East in the late second millennium BCE, with a focus on the Levant. It explores how the area was shaped by these movements of people, especially in forming the new Iron Age societies.
The book utilises recent sociological studies on group identity, violence, migration, colonialism and settler colonialism in its reconstruction of related social and political changes. Prime examples of migrations that are addressed include those involving the Sea Peoples and Philistines, ancient Israelites and ancient Arameans. The final chapter sets the developments in the ancient Near East in the context of recent world history from a typological perspective and in terms of the legacy of the ancient world for Judaism and Christianity. Altogether, the book contributes towards an enhanced understanding of migration, colonialism and violence in human history.
In addition to academics, this book will be of particular interest to students of this period in the Ancient Near East, as well anyone working on migration and colonialism in the ancient world. The book is also suitable to the general public interested in world history.

Portrait

Pekka Pitkänen is Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Humanities at the University of Gloucestershire. He is the author of Central Sanctuary and Centralization of Worship in Ancient Israel (2003), Joshua (2010) and A Commentary on Numbers: Narrative, Ritual and Colonialism (2017). His current research interests include ancient Near Eastern history in the context of world history, the biblical books of Genesis-Joshua with their reception and ritual studies and other sociological and anthropological appoaches to the study of the ancient world.