ABSTRACT
The roles of history, archaeology and anthropology in reconstructing the daily-life of ancient and contemporary Levantine communities are important. Employing archaeological and ethnographical material culture in association with text-based epigraphy embraces the present with the past and reshapes self-reflective questions of identity. The long, occupational sequence of Levantine history, the gradual development of the scientific tools and methodology of the research disciplines involved a fundamental fallacy in both research and its purpose. The association between nation-building and the appropriation of national archaeology for constructing a historical narrative so obviously seeks authentic national roots through excavation that many archaeological sites were excavated by non-professionals with old tools and methods, which misled interpretation of material culture data and eventually led to a loss of authenticity. Aware of the importance of the topic, this chapter seeks to shed light on the methodological approach of archaeology and anthropology as applied in reconstructing socio-cultural innovations of prehistoric peoples of the Levant. Due to the fact that human societies exhibit a trend toward complexity and social hierarchy, a brief synthesis of approaches needs to be considered if we are to arrive at a critical historical understanding.
