How do experts figure out the age of early hill villages in central Canaan?
Research question: How were the Iron I highland settlements of central Canaan dated, and what do they show about the Israelite population's origins?
The verified facts give date ranges and period labels for these settlements, such as 1175–1000 B.C.E. for the Iron Age I rise in settlement count 1 and the 12th century B.C.E. for the house layout 2, but they do not describe the dating methods used. The number of settlements in the central hill country grew from about 30 in the Late Bronze Age to about 250 in Iron Age I 1. Their houses were aligned along the perimeter of an ellipse with an open interior, and collared-rim jars were especially common there 23. William Dever argues from pottery traditions that these settlers were Canaanites, since their pottery matches that of Canaanite coastal areas 4. Anson Rainey instead proposes that early Israelites entered Canaan from east of the Jordan River, pointing to shared ceramic and architectural traditions such as the four-room house in Transjordan 5. The facts present both views as proposals, so they do not settle the question of Israelite origins 45.
Sources
"Extensive archaeological surveys of the region—from the Jezreel Valley in the north to the Beersheva Basin in the south—have identified only about 30 settlements dating to this period. However, in the imme- diately following Iron Age I (1175–1000 B.C.E.), the number of settle- ments within the same geographical area rose dramatically, to about 250."59 3 The Emergence of Israel in the Land of Canaan
"Beginning in the 12th century, the land- scape becomes dotted with settlements arranged in elliptical patterns: the houses are aligned solely along the perimeter of the ellipse while the interior of the site remains open"59 3 The Emergence of Israel in the Land of Canaan
"Included in the former grouping are the collared-rim jars (so named because of their distinctive “collars”), found in greatest abundance throughout the central hill country.19"59 3 The Emergence of Israel in the Land of Canaan
"In Dever’s view, the material culture of the Israelites is suffi- ciently similar to that of the Canaanites to support the notion of a Canaanite origin for the people of Israel. Thus, for example, the pottery traditions of the hill-country settlements in Iron Age I are the same as those of the Canaanite areas of the coastal plains."59 3 The Emergence of Israel in the Land of Canaan
"historian, linguist, and biblical geographer Anson Rainey proposes that the early Israelites did not emerge out of Canaanite society, as is so often argued, but actually entered Canaan from the lands east of the Jordan River, exactly as the Bible claims. Not only do Israelite ceramic and architectural traditions—like the collared-rim pithos and the four-room house—conform to styles that appear in "59 3 The Emergence of Israel in the Land of Canaan