The Archaeology of the Family in Ancient Israel

Abstract

Family Date of Input: 8/29/2007 Lawrence E. Stager, “The Archaeology of the Family in Ancient Israel,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 260 (1985): 17–18, has convincingly shown that the so called “four-room-house” generally has to be seen as the dwelling of a nuclear family (6–8 persons). In any case, as the compounds of several houses demonstrate, often extended families of different sizes (10–30 persons) could dwell and work together (ibid., pp. 18–23). Thus, the bet ’ab can consist of a single house or a com- pound of houses and includes the nuclear and the extended family.