In this fascinating analysis of history in the making, Ben-Yehuda closely examines the day-by-day transcripts of the archaeologists' conversations at Masada to determine the way in which they evaluated the findings. He skilfully demonstrates that the interpretation of the artefacts uncovered during the dig was significantly affected by the process of nation-building and the forging of a national identity, which was then underway in Israel. Nation-building required a heroic past, and the pressure of this requirement subtly led to concealing facts and even falsifying the historical evidence. Why did the archaeologists involved, all scientifically trained scholars, ignore scientific evidence in favor of a version of history that now appears to be largely a myth? The answer to this question is the focus of this study, which looks not only at Masada but at the whole issue of deception in science and the social construction of knowledge.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...an important contribution of Israeli history...a vital contribution to developing the proper relationship between archaeology and society..." -- Middle East Quarterly, Fall, 2003
"...fascinating ... thoroughly documented and well-written ... highly recommended..." -- Choice, March 2003
"...fascinating analysis of history in the making... Recommended as an important study in the social construction of scientific knowledge." -- Word Trade.com
"...rigorous and trenchant, concerned with both the scientific enterprise and his national political culture..." -- American Journal of Sociology, September 2003
"This book...reads almost like a detective novel..." -- Shofar, Apring 2004
"...fascinating ... thoroughly documented and well-written ... highly recommended..." -- Choice, March 2003
"...fascinating analysis of history in the making... Recommended as an important study in the social construction of scientific knowledge." -- Word Trade.com
"...rigorous and trenchant, concerned with both the scientific enterprise and his national political culture..." -- American Journal of Sociology, September 2003
"This book...reads almost like a detective novel..." -- Shofar, Apring 2004
About the Author
Nachman Ben-Yehuda is professor and dean of the faculty of social sciences at Hebrew University and the author of THE MASADA MYTH: COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND MYTHMAKING IN ISRAEL.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth the time to read,
By Eliyahu Grossman "Drashi" (Efrat, Israel) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sacrificing Truth: Archaeology and the Myth of Masada (Hardcover)
While this book is a bit of a rehash of his earlier work of a similar name, it does contain new research to bolster his position. Keep in mind that the author has acknowledged that David Rappaport's work has influenced in from the traditional view to a more exacting view of what had taken place. Several key points that he brings up are well worth keeping in mind with the myth/legend that has become greater than it's birth. For example the sole source of any reference is the writings of Josephus, whose tainted history brings much to question, espcially when modern digs contradict stories that were written for his Roman patroni, who permitted the assasin to live to be their chronicler of Jewish history. So if what he wrote cannot be validated, and there is no evidence to support this, it becomes an interesting detective story to discover what might actually have happened.
While the author does focus more on the political and personal agendas behind the elevation of this small blurb by one questionable source than I would have liked, the emphasis of this does drive home a strong point for those with an partially-open mind willing to put aside the stories that were told to them as children to create a desired feeling of patriotic fervor, and consider that, while this is not a bad thing, being unable to distinguish between the actuality and the legend is not desirable by any means. Kol h'Kvod to the author for being willing to put aside his initial predjudices that the legend was fully true, and then acknowledging that the work of another had merit. I recommend that others do the same when reading his work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Neo-revisionism,
By
This review is from: Sacrificing Truth: Archaeology and the Myth of Masada (Hardcover)
Ben-Yehuda builds a weak case of Neo-revisionism. Rather than investigate the true archaeological record, the author relies on the skewed and biased reporting of liberal reporters...especially those of Ha'Aretz. If you want to really learn more, read the work of Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor, "Back To Masada." Here, Ben-Tor masterfully undermines the argument that Masada is only a myth.
15 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
So-called "research?",
By Objective Guy (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sacrificing Truth: Archaeology and the Myth of Masada (Hardcover)
It is immediately obvious that the author is guilty of the very same desire to prove a pre-conceived notion, that he accuses Yigal Yadin of. Except that his "refutations" are weak, contrived, and based on things that include, the precise wording or emphasis used by newspaper reporters in reporting on the excavations. The author repeatedly points to differences in the initial description of certain archaeological finds, and later descriptions of those same relics. Yadin's descriptions are less certain earlier and more certain after further digging and research. Is this not what you would expect from a careful researcher?
You'll learn nothing about the archaeology of Masada from this book.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
How do we perceive our culture? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
contextual constructionism, natural spur, mythical narrative, siege ramp, northern palace, casemate wall, great revolt, collective suicide, pig bones, snake path, tenth legion, mythical version, factual level Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Josephus Flavius, Shmaria Guttman, Ein Gedi, Wars of the Jews, Elazar Ben-Yair, Yigael Yadin, Second Temple, Hebrew University, Dead Sea, Flavius Silva, Ehud Netzer, Gideon Foerster, Yediot Aharonot, Courtesy of the Government Press Office, Nachal Chever, Ben Ya'ir, Pearl Harbor, United States, Bar Kochva, Joseph Aviram, David Ben-Gurion, Gila Hurvitz, Institute of Archaeology, King Herod, Mount of Olives New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
How do we perceive our culture? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
contextual constructionism, natural spur, mythical narrative, siege ramp, northern palace, casemate wall, great revolt, collective suicide, pig bones, snake path, tenth legion, mythical version, factual level Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Josephus Flavius, Shmaria Guttman, Ein Gedi, Wars of the Jews, Elazar Ben-Yair, Yigael Yadin, Second Temple, Hebrew University, Dead Sea, Flavius Silva, Ehud Netzer, Gideon Foerster, Yediot Aharonot, Courtesy of the Government Press Office, Nachal Chever, Ben Ya'ir, Pearl Harbor, United States, Bar Kochva, Joseph Aviram, David Ben-Gurion, Gila Hurvitz, Institute of Archaeology, King Herod, Mount of Olives New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
See all 100 books this book cites
2
books
cite this book:
- Deception: Perspectives on Human and Nonhuman Deceit (Suny Series in Animal Behavior) by Robert W. Mitchell on 4 pages
- The Prevalence of Deceit by F. G. Bailey on page 206, and Back Matter
- Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 31 by Karen S. Cook in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Cold War (World Historical Programme) by Alasdair Nicolson in Back Matter
- After the Fact: Two Countries, Four Decades, One Anthropologist (Jerusalem-Harvard Lectures) by Clifford Geertz in Back Matter
See all 100 books this book cites
- Memory and the Impact of Political Transformation in Public Space (Radical Perspectives) by Daniel J. Walkowitz in Back Matter
- Aesthetics of Ruins by Robert Ginsberg on page 477
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
