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A Prophet from Amongst You: The Life of Yigael Yadin : Soldier, Scholar, and Mythmaker of Modern Israel
As warrior and as mythmaker, Yigael Yadin has been depicted as one of the most heroic figures in the rise of modern Israel. In A Prophet from Amongst You, Neil Asher Silberman has written the first full-scale biography of this man whose career was a larger-than-life adventure of war, politics, and discovery.
Known throughout the world for his spectacular archaeological discoveries at Masada and his decipherment of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls, Yigael Yadin lived a life that parallels the history of the modern Jewish state. As soldier and protege of Ben-Gurion in the 1940s, he rose through the ranks to become a commander of the Jewish forces in Palestine, playing a key role in the winning of Israel's War of Independence. He left the military to study archaeology, but went on to use his sensational discoveries for the same purposes he had fought wars - as a way to legitimize and defend the existence of modern Israel.
As director of the massive excavations at Masada - one of the most famous archaeological expeditions of the twentieth century - he transformed the ruins of a remote ancient fortress in the Judean desert into a vivid national myth of refusal to surrender. In "proving" that thousands of years ago a small group of Jewish rebels withstood more powerful Roman forces, he reinforced the struggles of the modern Jewish state. For Yadin, all his discoveries "proved" the physical daring, tactical ingenuity, and selfless patriotism of the People of Israel and their claims to the Promised Land. Yet there were many critics who doubted Yadin's proof. As Silberman shows, even the most important archaeological discoveries can be interpreted according to one's ideological outlook.
The events of Yadin's life offer an extraordinary series of political, military, and archaeological exploits that are closely intertwined - at every stage - with the historic triumphs and tragedies of the Jewish state. Through the use of never-before-published sources, Neil Asher Silberman has crafted a compelling story of Yadin's rise and fall, and of the powerful national ideology he helped create.
Known throughout the world for his spectacular archaeological discoveries at Masada and his decipherment of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls, Yigael Yadin lived a life that parallels the history of the modern Jewish state. As soldier and protege of Ben-Gurion in the 1940s, he rose through the ranks to become a commander of the Jewish forces in Palestine, playing a key role in the winning of Israel's War of Independence. He left the military to study archaeology, but went on to use his sensational discoveries for the same purposes he had fought wars - as a way to legitimize and defend the existence of modern Israel.
As director of the massive excavations at Masada - one of the most famous archaeological expeditions of the twentieth century - he transformed the ruins of a remote ancient fortress in the Judean desert into a vivid national myth of refusal to surrender. In "proving" that thousands of years ago a small group of Jewish rebels withstood more powerful Roman forces, he reinforced the struggles of the modern Jewish state. For Yadin, all his discoveries "proved" the physical daring, tactical ingenuity, and selfless patriotism of the People of Israel and their claims to the Promised Land. Yet there were many critics who doubted Yadin's proof. As Silberman shows, even the most important archaeological discoveries can be interpreted according to one's ideological outlook.
The events of Yadin's life offer an extraordinary series of political, military, and archaeological exploits that are closely intertwined - at every stage - with the historic triumphs and tragedies of the Jewish state. Through the use of never-before-published sources, Neil Asher Silberman has crafted a compelling story of Yadin's rise and fall, and of the powerful national ideology he helped create.
16 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1993
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About the author
Neil Asher Silberman
25 books9 followersNeil Asher Silberman is an archaeologist and historian with a special interest in history, archaeology, public interpretation and heritage policy. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and was trained in Near Eastern archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Awarded a 1991 Guggenheim Fellowship, he is a contributing editor for Archaeology Magazine and is a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Cultural Property, Heritage Management, and Near Eastern Archaeology.
With Israel Finkelstein, he is the author of The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts (2001) and David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition (2006). His other books on the themes of history, heritage, and contemporary society include Archaeology and Society in the 21st Century (2001); Heavenly Powers (1998); The Message and the Kingdom (1997); The Archaeology of Israel (1995); Invisible America (1995); The Hidden Scrolls (1994); A Prophet from Amongst You: The Life of Yigael Yadin (1993); Between Past and Present (1989); and Digging for God and Country (1982).
Since 1998, he has been involved in the field of public heritage interpretation and presentation, working on various projects in Europe and the Middle East. From 2004 to 2007, he served as director of the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in Belgium. In 2008, he was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and became one of the founders of its Center for Heritage and Society.
He also serves as the president of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Interpretation and Presentation (ICIP) and is a member of the ICOMOS International Advisory Committee and Scientific Council.
With Israel Finkelstein, he is the author of The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts (2001) and David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition (2006). His other books on the themes of history, heritage, and contemporary society include Archaeology and Society in the 21st Century (2001); Heavenly Powers (1998); The Message and the Kingdom (1997); The Archaeology of Israel (1995); Invisible America (1995); The Hidden Scrolls (1994); A Prophet from Amongst You: The Life of Yigael Yadin (1993); Between Past and Present (1989); and Digging for God and Country (1982).
Since 1998, he has been involved in the field of public heritage interpretation and presentation, working on various projects in Europe and the Middle East. From 2004 to 2007, he served as director of the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in Belgium. In 2008, he was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and became one of the founders of its Center for Heritage and Society.
He also serves as the president of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Interpretation and Presentation (ICIP) and is a member of the ICOMOS International Advisory Committee and Scientific Council.
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