While name diversity in Israel’s capital, Samaria, was lower than in the kingdom’s periphery—suggesting a broadly distributed elite—Jerusalem showed higher diversity than rural Judah, possibly due to an influx of refugees.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
Personal names etched into clay and stone over 2,500 years ago are revealing more than just identities — they are exposing the inner workings of ancient societies.
In a groundbreaking study, Israeli scientists used statistical techniques borrowed from ecology to measure the diversity of names from archaeological findings.
Their results show that the Kingdom of Israel was far more open and cosmopolitan than its southern neighbor, Judah, and highlight a powerful new method for uncovering cultural trends even in the absence of extensive written records.
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and the University of Haifa examined more than 1,000 names preserved on seals, ostraca, and storage jars from the Iron Age II period (950–586 BCE).
Applying ecological diversity measures allowed the team to quantify not just the variety of names, but how evenly they were distributed across the population—providing fresh insights into the social and political climate of the time.
The study — led by Dr. Barak Sober and Ariel Vishne, both of Hebrew University’s Department of Statistics & Data Science — was recently published in the peer-reviewed PNAS journal.
“Names are more than just labels; they are cultural artifacts,” said Sober.
“By analyzing naming diversity the way ecologists measure species diversity, we can detect patterns of identity, openness, and change that might otherwise be invisible in the archaeological record.”
The findings were striking. Despite fewer surviving inscriptions, Israelite names were more diverse, reflecting a society exposed to a broad range of cultural and linguistic influences.
In contrast, name diversity in Judah declined significantly over time, particularly during the kingdom’s final century, likely mirroring an increase in religious centralization and tighter sociopolitical control.
“The preserved personal names are windows into the past, revealing not just linguistic trends but also religious practices and social hierarchies of these ancient societies,” said Dr. Mitka R. Golub of the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew University, who built the comprehensive onomastic database for the study.
Geographic patterns added another layer to the story. While name diversity in Israel’s capital, Samaria, was lower than in the kingdom’s peripheral regions—suggesting a widely distributed elite class—Jerusalem exhibited higher diversity than rural Judah, possibly reflecting an influx of refugees after Assyrian campaigns.
“These findings align with archaeological evidence suggesting that the Kingdom of Israel was more cosmopolitan than Judah, with its strategic location along key trade routes fostering diverse cultural influences,” noted Professor Israel Finkelstein of the University of Haifa, a co-author of the study.
To test the broader reliability of their approach, the researchers applied their statistical tools to modern naming data from Israel, France, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
They found that name diversity has generally increased since the 1960s, female names tend to be more varied than male names, and more traditional societies show lower name diversity.
The results confirmed that their methods are robust even with smaller, ancient samples.
“Our findings suggest that societies with higher name diversity tend to be more cosmopolitan and open to external influences,” said Professor Eli Piasetzky of Tel Aviv University.
“Conversely, lower name diversity often corresponds to more traditional societies with stronger cultural conformity.”
While the archaeological record mainly preserves names of elite males, the researchers argue that comparing elites across kingdoms still offers a valuable lens into broader societal dynamics.
“This is the first time that onomastic data has been studied using ecological diversity statistics,” said Vishne. “It allows us to view ancient societies through a more nuanced statistical lens and raises exciting possibilities for studying cultural change across time and place.”