The Ammonites

Cast as the incestuous ancestors of Lot and his daughters in Genesis 19, the Ammonites figure in moments of gritty intrigue at many points in the biblical narratives. Unlike some other groups whose identity the Bible presents in terms of “familial” relationship with Israel, the Ammonites appear only as political and religious enemies. The Ammonites occupied a small and delimited territory, and the pinnacle of their existence as “Ammonites” by name seems to have occurred between the eighth and sixth centuries BCE. Excavation at some key sites of Ammonite occupation gives us more data than might be expected on Ammonite language, religion, and culture. Scholars debate the extent to which the Ammonites of the Bible correspond to real historical figures, and the biblical portrayal of Ammonite religion in a negative manner raises questions about the way assumptions about religion in the region have been colored by the biblical narrators.