About

Turning Points is a collaborative, multi-region, multidisciplinary, archaeological research program aimed at a broad-spectrum investigation of the transition between the Bronze and Iron Age (ca. 1200–1000 BCE) in the southern Levant. The cultural transformations experienced in the region at this time, which are frequently discussed but not well understood, followed in the wake of the demise of Egyptian rule and ultimately witnessed the rise of Iron Age polities like Israel, as well as Phoenician, Aramean, and Transjordanian states. New archaeological fieldwork and collaborations with ongoing excavations are aimed at collecting a wide range of archaeological data such as radiocarbon, petrographic, residue, botanical, and faunal remains that enable a robust interrogation of the negotiations of identity among Canaan’s diverse populations during this pivotal moment in its history. The project is directed by Aaron Burke, University of California, Los Angeles (aaburke@ucla.edu) and David Ilan, Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem (dilanhuc@gmail.com).