Vishne Ariel, Golub Mitka R, Piasetzky Eli, Finkelstein Israel, Sober Barak
Department of Statistics & Data Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus Jerusalem 9190501, Israel.
The Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus Jerusalem 9190501, Israel.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 May 20;122(20):e2503850122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2503850122. Epub 2025 May 14.
The distribution of personal names provides unique, yet often overlooked, insight into modern and historical societies. This study employs diversity statistics-commonly used in ecology-to analyze onomastic data from Iron Age II archaeological excavations in the Southern Levant (950-586 BCE). Our findings reveal higher onomastic diversity in the Kingdom of Israel compared to Judah, suggesting a more cosmopolitan society. We also observe a decrease in name diversity in Judah over time, potentially reflecting sociopolitical changes. Center/periphery analysis shows contrasting patterns in Israel and Judah. These results provide insights into social dynamics, cultural interactions, and identity formation in these ancient societies. Our methodology, validated using supplementary archaeological data, as well as modern datasets, offers a robust framework for applying diversity statistics across various modern and historical contexts.
人名的分布为洞察现代和历史社会提供了独特却常被忽视的视角。本研究采用生态学中常用的多样性统计方法，来分析来自黎凡特南部铁器时代二期（公元前950 - 586年）考古发掘的人名数据。我们的研究结果显示，与犹大相比，以色列王国的人名多样性更高，这表明其社会更为国际化。我们还观察到犹大的人名多样性随时间下降，这可能反映了社会政治的变化。中心/边缘分析显示出以色列和犹大的不同模式。这些结果为了解这些古代社会的社会动态、文化互动和身份形成提供了见解。我们使用补充考古数据以及现代数据集验证的方法，为在各种现代和历史背景下应用多样性统计提供了一个强大的框架。
