Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000-586 B.C.E.

The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library

by Amihai Mazar

The standard text on biblical archaeology--an award-winning, comprehensive introduction to the subject, from the very beginnings to the divided monarchy and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Religion, Theology

608 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

Reviews

[Brian Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a competent overview that surveys the whole range of cultural artifacts from all cultural groups in ancient Palestine, providing insights on the contributions of early Natufians, Ghassulians, Egyptians, Canaanites, Akkadians, Philistines, Israelites, Phoenicians, and more. Mazur avoids leaping to any assumptions on links between archaeological findings and Bible stories, but notes where some details of the biblical legends are shown to be archaeologically inaccurate. The descriptions of pottery styles, settlement patterns and ritual objects gives a good feel for the cultural complexity, creativity, and violence of ancient life in this region.

[Charity U · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old Testament archaeology at its finest. While this book is no longer new and cutting edge, it's still extremely helpful for those studying OT archaeology. It covers roughly 10,000 to 586 BC in a comprehensive and fascinating manner.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the most standard text of the archaeology of Syria-Palestine in English. It is outdated in some respects, but constitutes the middle of the road interpretation of the archaeology of the region. It is out of date and does not confront recent controversies such as Finkelstein's low chronology. This is a good foundation to start your study of archaeology of the region. From here you will need to move on to other more recent studies and wade into the minimalist-maximalist debate on the interpretation of Israel's origins, the reliability of various discoveries as they relate to biblical archaeology, etc. Moore and Kelle, Biblical History and Israel's Past is a good place to get a crash course on the various debates.

[Jonathan]

A better read than most archaeology books. I've read through the Philistines for my course; enough for now.

[Anthony Cleveland · Rating 1 out of 5]

A well written book by an archaeologist for other archaeologists.

[D]

school

[Augustus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a chronological summary of archaeology in the Holy Land during the centuries of the Hebrew Bible. The author is a distinguished professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and his book is enriched with 11 maps and many dozens of black-and-white illustrations. The book has the virtue of paying more attention to lesser known archaeological sites than many other similar works, including tables that compare their stratigraphy. The author also offers a number of isometric drawings and reconstructions that complement his narrative. He also offers some interesting discussion of tensions between the Biblical narrative and the evidence yielded by archaeological science.

If you are looking for beautiful photographs of important artifacts, you might prefer the Metropolitan Art Museum book on "Treasures of the Holy Land" (see my review), which presents many of the same items more attractively in color. Professor Mazar's book may also strike some general readers as focusing too heavily on subtle stylistic differences between various periods in the archaeological record. Obviously, readers with an interest in New Testament archaeology will also need to look elsewhere.

It's a competent work with many well chosen illustrations by an authoritative author, but it's not a particularly engaging text for a general audience.

[Namrirru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esoteric. Not clearly written. But there are some interesting bits.

[Peter Fick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the archeological history of Palestine.

[Jean-michel Pigeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonne synthèse de l'archéologie de cette région

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good overview of development of material culture. Long book but very much worth the time. Great as reference.