The Archaeology of the ‘Elderly’, ‘Elders’, ‘Fathers’ and ‘Mothers’ in Iron Age Israel: Building 101 at Tel Eton as a Case-Study

Abstract

Archaeology prides itself on its ability to see beyond the urban elite. The countryside, the urban poor, gender and even children have all gradually come under the discipline’s gaze. The elderly, however, have failed to attract much scholarly attention. The few groundbreaking studies that tackled the issue scrutinized mortuary data and examined the ‘body’ of the elderly, but hardly any archaeological attention was given to the social aspects of the daily life of the old. Using one of the most detailed archaeological case studies available, and with the aid of ancient texts and ethnography, this article seeks to identify the ‘elderly’ and ‘elders’ in Iron Age Israel and, using Building 101 at Tel Eton as a test case, it places the fathers and mothers and their activities within the household.