1 BRONZE BANGLES FROM TELL EN-NASBEH: CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC OBSERVATIONS ON AN ARTIFACT TYPE FROM THE TIME OF THE PROPHETS Aaron J. Brody and Elizabeth Friedman This paper marks the inaugural collaborative research project for the Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology at Pacific School of Religion and the Center for Synchrotron Radiation Research and Instrumentation, Illinois Institute of Technology with support from the Consortium for Advanced Radiation Sources at the University of Chicago. Bronzes from ancient Israel, especially those from the Iron II–Persian period, the time of the prophets, are an under- studied class of artifacts. Bronze vessels, weaponry, weights, and jewelry have been discovered at numerous Iron II–Persian period sites in the southern Levant, as well as in contemporary settlements and tombs throughout the Near East and eastern Mediterranean (see collected studies in Curtis 1988). While bronzes in general from this period have been typically overshadowed by iron (Waldbaum 1978; McNutt 1990), the numerous bronze rings or bangles, the focus of our current research, are usually given little mention in either archaeo- metallurgical studies or research on Israelite and ancient Near Eastern jewelry (for exceptions see Tufnell 1958: 37-54; Notis 1986: 278-83; Platt 1992: 823- 34; Green 2007: 283-311). Accordingly we have begun a program of material science testing on a sample of bronze bangles from Tell en-Nasbeh, paralleled by contextual archaeological research, in order to better understand issues of economy, technology, and society represented by these somewhat humble objects from biblical Israel. Marvin Chaney’s research on the political econ- omy of the Divided Kingdoms in the 8th century serves as an appropriate backdrop for this study (1989: 15-27), and it is a privilege and an honor to dedicate this piece to him both as a friend and as a colleague in the Graduate Theological Union. Tell en-Nasbeh The site of Tell en-Nasbeh, located twelve kilometers northwest of Jerusalem, was excavated under the direction of W.F. Badè of Pacific School of Religion in five seasons between 1926 and 1935. It is likely that Nasbeh is the Biblical