MEYERS:WHERE111EGIRL.';ARE 41task ofgrindingwasdonesimultaneously byseveralwomenfromone
household,neighboringhouseholds,orboth.Similarly,ovenswereoften
positionedinwaysthatindicatetheyweresh;lredacrosshouseholds,pro-
vidingevidencethatwomen fromseveralhouseholdscoordinatedtheir
bread-bakingwork.Iconographicrcmainsdramaticallypointtothesame
cooperativework.Small terra-cottasofthelateIronAgcdepictseveral
womenkneadingdoughintandem,and;1Boetianterra-collaofagroup
ofwomenbentovera knc:ldingtroughhasledtheexcavatorsofa Pales-
linian site to identify an installation in an Iron Age dwelling as a
bread-kneadingtrough.^22
I-lavingestablishedthelikelydominanceofwomenasbreadproduc-
ers,typicallyworkingtogether,IturnedtocthnogrJphicdata forfUlther
evidence. Ihoped that such information wouldsuppon my claimthat
womenwerethehousehold brc;ld producers in ancientIsrael andmy
sensethattheyoflengathercdtogethertocarryoutat leastsomeofthe
conslituenttasks.Moreimporlant,Ihopedthatethnographicdatawould
suggest what the dynamicsof bread production, involvinggroupsof
womenrdtherthanindividuals,wouldhavebeen.Indeed,I didfindlhat
womenarebre:ldproducersina highpercentageofprcmodernsocieties
andthatbreadproductionisoftena socialendeavor.Theethnographiclit-
eratureaboundswith descriptionsof womenlightening Ihe hard and
time-comumingprocessofgrindingandkneadingbyworkingtogether,
talkingandsinging. I suggestwithsomeconfidence,therefore,Ihatlhe
womenofoncIsraelitehousehold-andtherecouldhavebeenseveral
adolescentandaduhwomeninthecomplexorextendedfamilyhouse-
holds that werepart ofIron Age agrarian settlements^23 -and even of
neighboringhouseholdswouldhavcgatheredtogethcrformanyhoursof
the day 10 grind,kncad,and bakeand probablyalsotoperform olher
householdactivities.
Totakethisclaimaboutwomen'sworkonestepfurtherandtoeval-
uatethesignificanceofthecontrolofthecentraleconomicaClivityof
household(breadproduction)bywomen,I againturnedtoethnography
while remindingmyselfnot to succumbto the problemsofpresent-
mindednessor ofassumingaseparationbetweenhouseholdsand the
l2Forreferences 10 lhese;m.:haeololo'ic;t1m;l1l'rial~,~e...l\1c}·c~."11;L\'in~111cirSP:!C<.';l11d
E,ltinlo'ThereToo.H
23 Secl.:l\'rcnccE..st:I~er.-TheArclu,---ologyoftheFamilyinAncient[smd:BASON
260 (t985):1-3');C;lfolMeyers.1'11...F;lmilyinEarlybr.lel."inFamili,'SillAI/cien/lsrael(by
l.. G.Perdueel "I.,Loui:;ville: Weslmin~lerJohnKnox. 1?')7). 1 ·17: P"ul" J\t. MeNun,
Ikx;olls/llIc/iIlH/IX!SocietyI?fAllciell/Ismel(Knoxville:\'('c~lJl1insl...rJohnKnox, 19(9).90,
t66-67;andAvmllamFau~l.'TheHumlCommuni1yof,\ncienlbrae!inlh...IronAge:BASON
317 (2000):t7-39