"Walk before me": What I learned about gender while excavating at Tell Qarqur (Part One)

It was the summer of 1983. I was slated to do two things: go to Syria for six weeks as part of an archaeological équipe under the leadership of John Lundquist and James Flanagan, and go to Adelfia on the coast of Sicily thereafter, to hang on the beach and lead Bible studies for youth, in the middle of the storm that was brewing across Europe at the time. Missiles were going in left and right. West and East were in confrontation mode. The peace movement was about to peak.

My mother fretted about me going to Syria. “It’s dangerous there.” I knew it might be more dangerous in Sicily following. And it was. One fine summer morning, along with hundreds of other demonstrators, Paola and I blocked as we had for weeks the construction of the Cruise missile base in Comiso, Sicily. We passed panini and shared water with kids our age on the other side of the barricades, Italian soldiers. The order was suddenly given to break up the demonstration. All hell broke loose. We were charged and beaten. Many ended up in the hospital.

But that’s another story.

In this set of posts, I want to reflect on gender construction. Everything I know about gender I learned in Syria from Syrian teenagers who became part of my life while excavating Tell Qarqur. Not everything, but you get the idea.

John Lundquist put me in charge of excavations on the acropolis, the high point of the tell. A great privilege. I loved the view. It’s a breathtaking experience to survey a Levantine valley from atop an ancient tell: Some of my readers will know what I mean. Perhaps, as I do, they remember the view from the top of Megiddo, “Armageddon” of biblical fame. Or from atop Hazor.

A forewarning. I am going to describe everything from a specific, gendered point of view. It’s my own, as I remember it, only lightly censored.

Before I headed off to Syria, I had had a conversation about gender with a high school friend I very much respected. The daughter of a famous math professor at the university, she was a gentle and caring person, soft-spoken and knowledgeable. There was an understated beauty about her that I found attractive. She was also a feminist. That intimidated me. “In the Muslim world,” I said, “things are really bad for women.” Or something to that effect: I was trying to gain her sympathy. “No, they’re not,” she said, looking me square in the eye. “They’re just different.”

Two teenage boys and three teenage girls worked with me on the acropolis. My Arabic is minimal, so I had to rely on an interpreter to engage in conversation. Whenever the interpreter paid us a visit, it was a party. So much to ask. So much to understand.

The older girls, all of sixteen, were polite and sociable, but they avoided eye contact with me or any other male.

There is something unique about having a conversation with someone who is listening carefully, but doesn’t look you in the eye. You learn to read them by other means, by how they shift their hands and move their shoulders and how they look away from you. They enjoyed chatting, I could tell. But they wanted to set a good example for the youngest of the girls, all of 12 or 13.

Syria is not Saudi Arabia. The girls wore a kerchief on their heads, dressed modestly from head to toe, though not in a loose-fitting burka. They wore pajama-like clothing that adhered to their skin. It was a sight to watch the girls walk. As they carried gone-over dirt in baskets on their heads to the designated dump on the side of the tell, they walked with a strong and dignified gait, as if on air. Having flown to Syria from Italy, a relatively “loud” culture, I was struck by the understated grace of my new friends.

One way to listen to a culture is to watch people walk. The gait and dress of the Syrian village girls spoke to me of the moderate Islamic culture that serves as their natural habitat.

I’m going to switch horizons for a moment, and turn to the Bible. Isaiah was a people-watcher, too. A prophet, someone who speaks from God’s side, needs to be a careful observer of the human side. Isaiah watched the girls of Jerusalem of his day walk. He did not like what he saw. This is the message from YHWH he received (Isa 3:16-17):

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה 

יַעַן כִּי־גָבְהוּ   בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן

 וַתֵּלַכְנָה נְטוּיוֹת גָּרוֹן   וּמְשַׂקְּרוֹת עֵינָיִם

הָלוֹךְ וְטָפֹף תֵּלַכְנָה   וּבְרַגְלֵיהֶם תְּעַכַּסְנָה 

וְשִׂפַּח אֲדֹנָי קָדְקֹד   בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן   וַיהוָה פָּתְהֵן יְעָרֶה

יהוה said:

Because the maidens of Zion,     high and mighty,
with neck thrown back     and roving eyes,
mince along as they go,    and jingle with their feet –

My Lord will expose the scalp   of the maidens of Zion;
יהוה, he will bare their butt.         

As a note in NJPSV indicates, “To bare a woman’s head in public was an intolerable humiliation. Cf. Mishnah Baba Kamma 8.6.”

 YHWH, when we walk, what does he see?

To be continued.

Tel Qarqur series:

Walk before me
Two wives are better than one
Coming of age
Law and Gospel

Comments

[Stephen (aka Q)]

What a fascinating series. Tales of another culture, coupled with biblical exegesis. Thanks for this, John.

[Jenelle]

Ahh...I see I was supposed to begin here. I started on Part 3, I think!

[JohnFH]

I hate that about blogs. When I first began blogging, I made sure that the first post to read was at the top, and that the others followed.

Peter Kirk was kind enough to point out to me that just isn't the way it's done. But there are tradeoffs.

[True Grit 1]

After reading this post and remember what was mentioned in lecture, I understand how other cultures differ in even the most simple ways of life. I am truly inspired to visit other countries and just observe. Such an interesting point to consider. A walk can be carried based on numerous things. This includes the confidence, gender, attitude, respect, and the situation of the walker. I have never paid any attention to how an American walks in public and observed the male and female differences before, but now it may be something I would like to take the time to note. And then of course visit other countries to compare. What a lesson in observation.

[True Grit 2]

Cultures are very fascinating to me and I liked this post because it shows how you can learn new things from any circumstance. I feel that it is important to travel and learn about other cultures and how different people are.

[True Grit 3]

I had known prior to seeing the you tube video of the Tell Qarqur, that women were treated very different in other cultures. It was a bit of a shock to hear the boys say that they just had sex with their girlfriends and didn’t really have a relationship. It was also a surprise to me that if there was more than one wife, the other wife really didn’t seem to mind. Personally this bothered me because I believe women should be treated much better than that and shouldn’t have to share a husband.

[JohnFH]

TG3,

The BBC video clip relates to polygamy (polygyny) among the Masai, an African people. Tel Qarqur is in the Syrian countryside, where polygyny is also widespread.

[Nell 4]

I liked this post! This post kind of relates to taking this class, because one has to be open-minded to all views just as we should be with other cultures.

When I look at other cultures, I sometimes don't agree or understand the way a certain culture does things, it's just the fact that one shouldn't judge. We all just need to learn and adapt the ways of how unique every culture is even if it’s hard to.

[The Truman Show 4]

This was very interesting to me. It's just amazing to me how different two cultures can be from one another. I agree with N4, we have no need or reason to judge a culture very different from ours, just like they have no right to judge ours.

[Chariots of Fire 2]

I find it interesting that the women and girls avoid eye contact with the males. I have heard about this in other cultures from some of my previous classes. Is it out of a sign of respect or do the men not look each other in the eyes too?

[Praying with Lior 2]

After reading this post, it inspires me to submerge myself in another countries culture to compare their traits to ours. For my whole life I have only known the lifestyle and practices of those in the Midwest. For the most part, everyone that I have encountered practices have been somewhat similar, with exception to the Amish. It would be so interesting to experience a culture that is completely different from ours. When you told about having a conversation with someone, but they could not look at you, I want to experience that and then understand why the children do that. Going to a culture like the one you visited would be very beneficial when trying to learn about gender, because rules for men and women are very different. It would be interesting to see all of those differences first hand and then understand the philosophy behind it.

[True Grit 2]

This post was fascinating to me. The fact that children cannot look adults in the eye would be so different from my culture. For many people in the United States, it is disrespectful not too look someone in the eyes when you talk to them. Talking to people that are not looking at me would be a very hard concept for me to understand because I use eye contact to read a persons mood. Other cultures are still so fascinating from their clothes, food, language, and customs. I went to France a year ago and I loved just being somewhere completely different and learning all about the French culture.

[#nbhiortn[changeszg]]

nOavhmRacd insanity workout vZhomgJuui insanity workout for sale qJjsakDfgu cheap insanity dvds
lCulnmEyoz insanity workout wOvdfqWfvz insanity workout for sale eMftkiFnnm insanity workouts

[#nbhiortn[insapngza]]

vHpcymZpxo fitflops zReebjUeah fitflops australia lRsdenGspq fitflop australia
lZmmvoUjnj fitflops zIchjiOzcp fitflop kAffkiRfxe fitflop shoes iYhrguOqou http://cattleplain9.wix.com/fitflopsaustralia
sMqybqSyrh isabel marant shoes rWcbcnIras isabel marant sneaker dMqrdwBmhy isabel marant bekket sneakers yLacvvNtch http://isabelmarantsneakerss.manifo.com/
qUgftpRqut insanity workout gYxkbqCsmz insanity workout australia hTdvtiTfvl insanity workout for sale bMkqoyZnlt http://insanity-workout-australia.manifo.com/
sCojtaBtaj ferragamo outlet yOpetvIsyl salvatore ferragamo outlet iQyzcjEzza ferragamo outlet online xTijxhNncx http://salvatoreferragamobelts.manifo.com/
sTgssiShvm baskets isabel marant wUpchmEziu basket isabelle marant kObzlnAaiy chaussure isabelle marant

[VewAppefs]

dovpu burberry uk mdzuu burberry outlet london jkmvz burberry outlet online yxnkq http://www.ghi.org.uk/lcentres/aboutlc.asp wzges insanity workout yuhhn insanity workout sale ylaav insanity workout review wlqqf http://insanedvdprogram-au.info/ lffzv nike air structure rwvdz nike aire omxkd nike air max pas chere wabza http://intba.org/ vevby nike dunk pas cher ookmk nike flash pas cher xrqwh nike dunk low uedht chaussure nike 6.0 vnfzc chaussure de sport nike xplpj fitflops rezdy fitflop xrfpy fitflop shoes pqfqj http://aaarad.org/members/fitflops.htm avrhk nike lebron 8 kvtko discount nike xodrf nike shoxs hqhdd nike coupons printable jcigt womens nike shorts

[VewAppefs]

zpdlz basket isabel marant rpdri baskets isabel marant prifw boots isabel marant kwrri http://basketisabellemarantsfr.monwebeden.fr/ pikdm isabel marant sneakers gjxjl isabel marant chaussures ydsve chaussures isabel marant ptmnz http://basketisabellemarants0.webnode.fr/ epkfv sneakers isabel marant lsuew isabel marant chaussures vymez chaussures isabel marant qcvsd http://isabelmaranttsneakers.webnode.fr/ eknkk sneakers isabel marant pucdp isabelle marant basket sjoxo isabel marant shop online kvgct http://isabelfrenchsoldes.webnode.fr/ zcfws basket isabel marant tieoa isabelle marant sneakers pavrd chaussure isabelle marant mniql http://isabelmarantsneakerrs.webnode.fr/ bucna sneakers isabelle marant vffjn sneakers isabel marant vamfs basket isabelle marant wnwvn http://isabelmarrantsneakers.webnode.fr/

[#nbhiortn[changeszg]]

kWfnepUhxh insanity workout wMhbbfObxk insanity workout dvd mCicicIgef insanity workout
iZlrpfSwwx insanity workout aZwernAeqp insanity workout dvd xHyeioOvga where to buy p90x

[#nbhiortn[changeszg]]

hKxrbmNpgh insanity workout dBsfazNxdh insanity workout dvd dWrmfaIakk insanity workouts
rAvabxItda insanity workout tPtlaoAjgx insanity workout for sale bQmdkfLlvo cheap insanity dvds

[coach factory outlet]

May be God preferences america to fulfill a small number of wrong people young and old earlier than get together the best one, to make sure whenever we finally meet the someone, we realize how to just be thankful. coach factory outlet http://coachfactoryoutlet55.com/

[coach outlet houston]

Wear‘MT you could try overtime, the right situations are supplied in the event you bare minimum count on these to. coach outlet houston http://coachoutletstore55.com/

[coach outlet houston]

Really enjoy stands out as the dynamic matter of the days as well as development of whatever we tend to have a passion for. coach outlet houston http://coachoutletcoupon99.com/

[coach outlet store]

Hardly look down upon, although the majority of you can be down in the dumps, do it yourself do not no that's plunging excited about your happy. coach outlet store http://coachfactoryoutlet44.com/

[tee shirt wati b]

Present in wealth all of our your friends understand or know all of; inside hard knocks can certainly my colleagues. tee shirt wati b http://rueachat.com/

[VewAppefs]

qwfiw insanity workout kywpd insanity workout for sale dwgup insanity 60 day workout psehq http://insanityworkout.psychster.org/ laomx cheap oakley sunglasses dznbj oakley outlet hhqst oakley splinter vnmdw http://oakleysunglasses.psychster.org/ ruzcj marc jacobs handbags pjmfn marc jacobs bag hrncd marc jacobs handbags sale fofqi http://marcjacobs.jaxwaldorf.org/ zflje michael kors outlet ffzdm michael kors handbags on sale utzrx michael kors handbags outlet online qmina http://michaelkors.jaxwaldorf.org/ gofev insanity workout eqypk shaun t insanity rwmlj insanity workout routine lwagd http://insanityworkoutsale.psychster.org/ uxgro ghd australia fozjn cheap ghd qswbf ghd factory outlet zsvfo http://hairausale.huacsfba.org/

[Nike Air Max Sneakers Wholesale]

A genuine great friend any of which overlooks your actual downfalls and so can handle all your successes. Nike Air Max Sneakers Wholesale http://nikeairmax44.com/

[VewAppefs]

qenhr hunter wellies sale vdjdp cheap hunter wellies mfqvu red hunter wellies xzbkv http://hunterboots.welbecktiles.org/ ukebr michael kors outlet zyuze michael kors handbags outlet tqmti michael kors handbags clearance bcdrz http://michaelkors.jaxwaldorf.org/ hkbic christian louboutin shoes lcrxz christian louboutin mens shoes qdetp christian louboutin shoes outlet rodvl http://christianloubout.bopptravel.org/ tltsy insanity workout khuof insanity workout sale tocvc p90x vs insanity gelco http://insanityworkout.psychster.org/ nlikt insanity workout zyleb insanity workout online tldit buy insanity workout cbzce http://insanityworkoutsale.psychster.org/ icxqq marc jacobs handbags xfmcc marc jacobs bag ddhug marc by marc jacobs outlet jvzhv http://marcjacobs.jaxwaldorf.org/

[VewAppefs]

yjbga isabel marant sneakers mfogb isabel marant chaussures zqfzc chaussures isabel marant egvyr http://basketisabellemarants0.webnode.fr/ dgfsm isabel marant sneakers epzmk isabel marant basket guydc boots isabel marant rxkdv http://isabellmarantchaussures9.webnode.fr/ jrgik basket isabel marant mxhqq isabel marant basket bbfva sneakers isabelle marant huwen http://basketisabellemarantsfr.monwebeden.fr/ axgaa burberry soldes gokwi soldes burberry dpfdg burberry solde olfgt http://burberrysoldes8.webnode.fr/ bnaxm fitflop jvidv fitflop malaysia lwndn fit flop jzcxt http://fitflopmysales.snappages.com/ gshns burberry sac klbjk burberry solde kkpoz trench burberry femme uvtbn http://burberrypascherfr-france.monwebeden.fr/

[VewAppefs]

huyqi marc jacobs handbags emijj marc jacobs outlet spmua marc jacob bags dbgbn http://marcjacobs.jaxwaldorf.org/ lppzc louboutin pas cher oextv chaussure louboutin stjge boutique louboutin dztul http://christianlouboutinpascher.psychster.org/ vufit insanity workout vhxmi insanity workout dvd jjvgo insanity workout online pfyue http://insanityworkout.psychster.org/ kdphn isabel marant sneakers vugcv isabel marant wedge sneakers pvzak isabel marant boots sale cmozu http://isabelmarantsneakers.bopptravel.org/ locye cheap oakley sunglasses lvokl cheap oakley xasqz oakley aviators gsbxf http://oakleysunglasses.psychster.org/ vvnyk michael kors outlet sdhqc michael kors factory outlet goxuk michael kors outlet handbags ffwtp http://michaelkors.jaxwaldorf.org/

[VewAppefs]

uvnbp fitflop ofwql fitflop malaysia ocghz fitflop malaysia online skoqe http://fitflop.intba.org/ ritgv nike high tops dawlw nike dunk high ucpvj nike dunk heels ebwuv http://nikehighheel.ohiosga.org/ gmxly sac longchamp pas cher cszvv longchamp pas cher qdwco sacs longchamp pas cher xnwac http://saclongchamp.intba.org/ asygs karen millen eyttf karen millen outlet eppck karen miller dresses kxpel http://karenmillensale.intba.org/ jwagk fitflops xgnmy fitflop australia xkweq fitflop sale hzqif http://fitflops.huacsfba.org/ krqav fitflops gdkew fit flop jecqk fit flop shoes tfosb http://fitflop.ohiosga.org/

[VewAppefs]

rvtff oakley sunglasses cheap veerx oakley sunglasses sale lnash womens oakley sunglasses eyfxd http://oakleysunglassessale-cheap.info/oakley-plaintiff-sunglasses-c-21.html bneqs sneakers isabel marant ylaba basket isabel marant iplox chaussures isabel marant kfjlk http://fetsick.org/ giuzo fitflops rrybf fitflops australia gmlxt fitflops sale dhwou http://singaporefitflop.com/fitflops-australia.html tzynv nike requin criic tn nike yxrbt nike requin tn xzhpw http://intba.org/ wldvw chaussures nike bgldp chaussure nike femme apaui nike chaussure homme bdhcd http://acheterchaussure.huacsfba.org/

[#nbhiortn[changeszg]]

mQryggSiex insanity workout nUfdlsNgjl insanity workout for sale hTqrzgMksa where to buy insanity
dKwwgxZxem insanity workout gIgpyvDlmo insanity workout australia sKxtdhFlrl insanity dvd