The Archaeology of Ancient Israel [Paperback]

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

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300059191 | ISBN-13: 978-0300059199 | Publication Date: February 23, 1994

In this illustrated book, some of Israel's foremost archaeologists present a survey of early life in the land of the Bible, from the Neolithic era (eighth millenium BC) to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC. Each chapter covers a particular era and includes a bibliography. The illustrations include photographs of artifacts; line drawings of sites and reconstructed buildings, ceramics and other objects; and maps. Together with the text they demonstrate developments in religious practices, architecture, technology, customs and art, depicting the earliest ceramic pots and idols, the layouts of villages and cemeteries and figurines and jewellery. This is a resource for anyone who wants to know more about the religious, scientific or historical background of the region.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Profusely illustrated with sketches, diagrams, maps, tables, and photographs, this attractive book offers an excellent introduction to biblical archaeology. Editor Ben-Tor (archaeology, Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem) focuses on the lands connected to biblical history, beginning with the earliest evidence of human habitation in those areas and dividing its coverage into broad time frames. Ofer Bar-Yosef, Rivka Gonen, Ram Gophna, Aharon Kempinski, Amihai Mazar, and Gabriel Barkay are among the specialists who provide chapters, each with a different emphasis reflecting the approach and special interests of the individual archaeologist in this extremely interpretive field. Based on materials prepared for a university course, this engrossing overview of a fascinating subject will be appreciated by laypersons as well as scholars.
- Carol R. Glatt, VA Medical Ctr. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Hebrew --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 419 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (February 23, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300059191
• ISBN-13: 978-0300059199
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #786,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to biblical archaeology, March 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Archaeology of Ancient Israel (Paperback)

This volume, which is an English translation of a Hebrew language university textbook, aims to overview and introduce the archaeology of the biblical period (the Bronze and Iron ages). Though completing this task quite well, the main drawback of the book is the lack of uniformity of the various chapters, each written by scholars with very different perspectives. Needless to say, due to its publication date, it is a bit outdated (in light of more recent finds and discussions) but it still can provide a better than average summary of this topic.

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Archeology of the Levant, February 21, 2006

By 

Scott Vantrease "swv in alaska" (Gustavus, Alaska United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Archaeology of Ancient Israel (Paperback)

This is a very informative study on the modern view of the archeology in the Levant. It compares the traditional Judeao/Christian account with the secular view acknowledging that scripture was formed from many traditions more ancient. I believe that scripture is accurate and the dating of the Bible is more trustworthy than carbon dating. However, that said, it gives you a very detailed, general explanation of contemporary scholarship.