The Archaeology of Ancient Israel

by Amnon Ben-Tor (Editor), R. Greenberg (Translator)

For over one hundred years archaeologists have explored the land of Israel, investigating such fascinating topics as the migrations of the patriarchs, the Israelites’ conquest of Canaan, and the establishment of the monarchy by David and Solomon. In this book some of Israel’s foremost archaeologists present a thorough and up-to-date survey of this research, providing an assessable introduction to early life in the land of the Bible. The authors discuss the history of ancient Israel from the Neolithic era (eighth millennium B.C.E.) to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. Each chapter describes a different era as seen through relevant archaeological discoveries. The reader is introduced to the first permanent settlements in the land of Israel, the crystallization of the political system of city-states, the nature of Canaanite culture, the Israelite patterns of settlement, and the division of the country into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The lavishly illustrated text explores and demonstrates developments in religious practices, architecture, technology, customs, arts and crafts, warfare, writing, cult practices, and trade. The book will be a delightful and informative resource for anyone who has ever wanted to know more about the religious, scientific, or historical background to the events described in the Bible, or to current developments in the Middle East.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Judaism

419 pages, Paperback

First published February 23, 1994

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fine work covers the latest state of archaeology in the Land of Israel from the Neolithic era until the end of the Iron Age. In other words, the "Biblical" period, its predecessors and the period following the destruction of the First Temple until the Persians took over. It is a translation from the Hebrew of the text book used by the Open University for students taking the introductory course entitled "The Archaeology of the Land of Israel in Biblical Times" and, as such, was designed to replace classic surveys by Albright and Kenyon. The various chapters are written by experts in those particular eras, as it was felt that there was no longer any over-arching expert on the almost 8000 years covered in this survey. As a text book, I would say it is outstanding, but be prepared for a course-like immersion, as much of the book is dedicated to details about pottery types, city fortifications, cult platforms, architectural layouts, etc. As Professor "Indiana" Jones said, "Archaeology is about facts, not truth." so Biblical Archaeology is no longer used to 'prop up the Ark,' so to speak, but it is a scientific and rational attempt to discover from the physical evidence what happened and what life was like in this part of the world in ancient days. This book, which is lavishly illustrated with photos and drawings, is a good place to start learning about that.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book previously, so when I needed a good book for source material for a paper in my current class, this book came to mind. Each chapter is written by a different author [although some authors do write multiple chapters], has a wealth of information in it, and covers a specific 'age' of human history. There are numerous discussions about pottery and other archaeological artifacts, but there is also a host of information about the cultures who inhabited the land, the climate, the economy, surrounding governmental powers, how the ground was used, the type of cash crops that were grown in the region versus agricultural usage, and how the land and industry/infrastructure was developed. It could get overwhelming at times.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I felt it was well-written, and it held my interest throughout most of the book. Yes, there were times when I felt like my eyes were rolling back in my head because of the minutia of what is shared at times, but it was still interesting to learn about all the same. I thought it was written for both the 'long-term scholar' and expert as well as a beginning student; there were varying levels of information in each chapter. The amount of learning a student could acquire would depend upon how much work and effort they were willing to expend in exchange for delving into the information in each chapter.

I am glad I reread the book.