This comprehensive and highly illustrated study explores the human history in the Holy Land, from the earliest prehistoric hominids, through the biblical and historical periods, up to the twentieth century. Chronologically organized, each chapter outlines the major cultural transitions which occurred in a given archaeological period and provides a review of the most recent research concerning settlement patterns, innovations and technology, religion and ideology, and social organization.

An introduction to the archaeology and history of ancient Palestine, from the destruction of Solomon's temple to the Muslim conquest.

Spanning ten millennia from earliest civilisation to the Arab conquest this book is the definitive one-volume reference to the ancient lands of the Bible, fusing scientific discovery and literary and religious tradition to produce a deeper understanding of the history of human culture. Here the settings of the world's three major religions are examined, incorporating the most up-to-date archaeological information with the biblical record of the Holy Land, the Encyclopaedia visits the ancient Near East site-by-site, with comprehensive descriptions of hundreds of discoveries as well as providing historical commentary and relevant biblical citations. General articles on subjects such as burial, warfare, cult objects and clothing provide further insight into the material culture and social systems of the biblical period. More than 20 distinguished archaeologists have contributed articles in their areas of expertise complete with details from their own excavations. >

This set covers over 400 archaeological sites in Israel, Jordan, and Sinai. Written by 180 leading archaeologists, The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land is an essential reference tool for archaeologists, historians, Bible scholars, and explorers. Arranged alphabetically by site name, the volumes cover all periods of human settlement in the Holy Land from the Stone Age to modern times. - Publisher.

Rev. translation of Entsi©økclopedyah la-©øhafirot arkhe℗ʼologiyot be-Erets Yi©Øsra℗ʼel. Includes bibliographies. Vol. 2-4 edited by Michael Avi-Yonah and Ephraim Stern.

Archaeology in Israel is truly a national obsession, a practice through which national identity—and national rights—have long been asserted. But how and why did archaeology emerge as such a pervasive force there? How can the practices of archaeology help answer those questions? In this stirring book, Nadia Abu El-Haj addresses these questions and specifies for the first time the relationship between national ideology, colonial settlement, and the production of historical knowledge. She analyzes particular instances of history, artifacts, and landscapes in the making to show how archaeology helped not only to legitimize cultural and political visions but, far more powerfully, to reshape them. Moreover, she places Israeli archaeology in the context of the broader discipline to determine what unites the field across its disparate local traditions and locations. Boldly uncovering an Israel in which science and politics are mutually constituted, this book shows the ongoing role that archaeology plays in defining the past, present, and future of Palestine and Israel.

On a cold winter morning in January of 1851, a small group of people approached the monumental façade of an ancient rock-cut burial cave located north of the Old City of Jerusalem. The team, consisting of two Europeans and a number of local workers, was led by Louis-Félicien Caignart de Saulcy—descendant of a noble Flemish family who later was to become a distinguished member of the French parliament. As an amateur archaeologist and a devout Catholic, de Saulcy was attracted to the Holy Land and Jerusalem in particular and was obsessed by his desire to uncover some tangible evidence for the city’s glorious past. However, unlike numerous other European pilgrims, researchers and adventurers before him, de Saulcy was determined to expose the evidence by physically excavating ancient sites. His first object of investigation constitutes one of the most attractive and mysterious monumental burial caves within the vicinity of the Old City, from then onward to be referred to as the “Tomb of the Kings” (Kubur al-Muluk). By conducting an archaeological investigation, de Saulcy tried to prove that this complex represented no less than the monumental sepulcher of the biblical Davidic Dynasty. His brief exploration of the burial complex in 1851 led to the discovery of several ancient artifacts, including sizeable marble fragments of one or several sarcophagi. It would take him another 13 years to raise the funds for a more comprehensive investigation of the site. On November 17, 1863, de Saulcy returned to Jerusalem with a larger team to initiate what would later be referred to as the first archaeological excavation to be conducted in the city.—(from the “Preface”) In 2006, some two dozen contemporary archaeologists and historians met at Brown University, in Providence RI, to present papers and illustrations marking the 150th anniversary of modern archaeological exploration of the Holy City. The papers from that conference are published here, presented in 5 major sections: (1) The History of Research, (2) From Early Humans to the Iron Age, (3) The Roman Period, (4) The Byzantine Period, and (5) The Early Islamic and Medieval Periods. The volume is heavily illustrated with materials from historical archives as well as from contemporary excavations. It provides a helpful and informative introduction to the history of the various national and religious organizations that have sponsored excavations in the Holy Land and Jerusalem in particular, as well as a summary of the current status of excavations in Jerusalem.