Description:
The present article introduces to the history, the problems and prospects of gender archaeology, approaching the topic from the angle of the subject, the object and the context of gender-archaeological research. An analysis of the current state of archaeological interpretation and theory-building in the area of Palestine/Israel reveals a noticeable lack of gender-archaeological sensibility and reflection. Opening up to gender-specific questions could, however, improve the quality of the discipline at large regarding its hermeneutics, method, and practice. The heuristic possibilities of gender-archaeology are further exemplified by their application to the 'Archaeology of Death'. It is specifically in this field -where these missing data would count most- that the archaeology of Palestine/Israel hardly applies new approaches and methods for the collection of data relevant to gender-specific research.