6 - Conclusion: mixing the ingredients together

Summary

The study of food preparation and consumption in various fields has proven to be a subject of great interest and has impacted our understanding of the culture of food in numerous ways. The field of biblical studies and the archaeology of Syro-Palestine is somewhat new to the endeavor but has embraced the micro-focus on daily life, the home, and its activities with gusto. It is my hope that this same enthusiasm will find its way to a micro-focus on food production, preparation, consumption, and distribution in ancient Israel and Judah. Furthermore, it is my sincere hope that this research will help with this endeavor.

The overall aim of this research was to determine if archaeological remains and complementary ancient Near Eastern sources could illuminate the gastronomical daily life of ancient Judahites during the mid- to late Iron Age II as it is exemplified in the Hebrew Bible. The conclusion I have come to based on this research is a clear and resounding yes.

A more specific archaeological question that helped answer the overall aim was: Are there differences in domestic food-preparation techniques in urban and rural environments in Iron IIB–C Judah? The combination of household archaeology and Goody's food-preparation paradigm provided an effective way of looking at the preparation of food in domestic contexts by focusing on the techniques and technologies of domestic cooking.