Digging for God and country: Exploration, archeology, and the secret struggle for the Holy Land, 1799-1917 [Hardcover]

Neil Asher Silberman (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Distributed by Random House; 1st edition (1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394511395
• ISBN-13: 978-0394511399
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,060,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Boston and trained in Archaeology in Jerusalem, and I've spent most of my career writing and thinking about the politics and contemporary meanings of archaeological discoveries. After completing a series of books about the history of Archaeology in the Middle East, I teamed up with my good friend and colleague Israel Finkelstein to see what we could accomplish in the re-construction of modern views of biblical history and the ancient societies in which the Hebrew scriptures arose. We hope that our theories stimulate thinking and reflection about the origins of the Judeo-Christian tradition. No less important, they offer an example of the kind of far-reaching archaeological transformation of our conventional view of the past that is now affecting modern understandings of nearly every historical period, in nearly every region of the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview, May 24, 2009

By 

A.L.C. (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digging for God and country: Exploration, archeology, and the secret struggle for the Holy Land, 1799-1917 (Hardcover)

Silberman's work is a good overview of the origins of archaeology in the Holy Land for a hobbyist, particularity for someone interested in Jerusalem. It is full of mostly interesting stories and facts surrounding a handful of important people involved, though it is by no means exhaustive. Notably, Silberman also explores the political and religious influences on the individuals involved. Warning: the book can be read as a collection of narratives, and therefore can seem a bit disjointed at times; it is not particularly good for skimming. Also included is a thorough bibliography that lends itself to further research on the subject and several black and white images for curiosity's sake.

3 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ugh, October 2, 2005

By 

S. Kolpin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digging for God and Country (Paperback)

Having to read this book for a class and write a comprehensive review proved to be nearly impossible. this is a book consisting of 18 chapters which do not fit together, they resemble 18 seperate short stories. the book is arranged chronologically by the dates of exploration, not by the historical dates which each city, settlement or advancement in civilization occured which makes forming a timeline of history in ones head nearly impossible. Beyone the content, the book consists of many multiple idea sentences and paragraphs, which make the reader repeatedly stop and ask, "what?"

All in all, I would have quit after the 3rd chapter (figured i had to give it a chance) if i wasn't required to write a book report on the ENTIRE book