New evidence and research has challenged old assumptions for the early Iron Age kingdoms of Edom and Moab in southern Jordan; the sixteen essays in this volume focus on the archaeological, textual and literary sources for this region between the thirteenth and seventh centuries BC, and constitute an up-to-date summary of present knowledge. Contributors include: J R Bartlett (Biblical sources for the early Iron Age in Edom); K A Kitchen (Egyptian evidence on early Jordan); A Millard (Assyrian involvement in Edom); P J Parr (Edom and the Hejaz); G L Mattingly (Moabite origins); J A Dearman (settlement patterns in Iron Age Moab); J M Miller (early monarchy in Moab); S Hart (Iron Age settlement in Edom); J P Zeitler (`Edomite' pottery from the Petra region).

Specialists from different fields converge on one relatively circumscribed and, until recently, largely neglected area of biblical archaeology. The eleven papers comprise archaeological reports from Buseira (Biblical Bozrah) and Wadi el Hasa in Moab, technical studies of Midianite and Edomite pottery, Iron Age burial practices and copper smelting in the Arabah, a semantic study of barzel ('iron') in Biblical Hebrew, and three essays of more general interest, on the history of the Ishmaelites and the Midianites.

An essential resource for scholars and students of the Hebrew Bible and history A History of Ancient Moab from the Ninth to First Centuries BCE incorporates archaeological, epigraphic, biblical, and postbiblical evidence to construct a picture of the formation of Moabite society, polity, religion, and economy. MacDonald prioritizes the archaeological evidence as our most secure source for constructing Moabite history, while drawing on the ninth-century Mesha Inscription, later Assyrian texts, the Hebrew Bible, and Josephus’s Jewish Antiquities to supplement the historical account. MacDonald presents the argument that the Moabites were indigenous Transjordanian, agro-pasturalists called Shûtu or Shasu in Egyptian sources. When provided an opening by warring neighbors, Moab emerged as a nation on the international stage and prospered from the eighth to early sixth centuries under the Assyrian Empire until the rise of the Neo-Babylonians led to their demise. Features: Maps specifying archaeological sites, survey areas, and locations mentioned in texts and inscriptions Images of Moabite architectural features and other important artifacts An analysis of Neo-Babylonian trade routes that shifted eastward, leading to Moab’s decline

"An emerging field of study that explores the Hispanic minority in the United States, Latino Studies is enriched by an interdisciplinary perspective. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, demographers, linguists, as well as religion, ethnicity, and culture scholars, among others, bring a varied, multifaceted approach to the understanding of a people whose roots are all over the Americas and whose permanent home is north of the Rio Grande. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies offers an authoritative, trustworthy, and up-to-date intellectual map to this ever-changing discipline."--Editorial page.