Digging Up
Syria-Palestine

General Reading Assignments

January 16: Context of the Archaeology of Syria-Palestine

Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, 1-21

Dever, William G. “Archaeological Method in Israel: A Continuing Revolution.” The Biblical Archaeologist 43, 1 (1980): 40-48.

Silberman, Neil Asher. “Desolation and Restoration: The Impact of a Biblical Concept on Near Eastern Archaeology.” The Biblical Archaeologist 54, 2 (1991): 76-87.

January 18: Archaeological Methodology

Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, 21-34.

Van Beek, Gus W. “Excavation of Tells.” Pp. 131-67 in Benchmarks in Time and Culture. Edited by J. F. Drinkard, Jr., G. L. Mattingly, and J. M. Miller. Atlanta: Scholars, 1988.

McRay, John. “Excavation of Low-Level Settlement Sites.” Pp. 169-77 in Benchmarks in Time and Culture. Edited by J. F. Drinkard, Jr., G. L. Mattingly, and J. M. Miller. Atlanta: Scholars, 1988.

January 23: Ideology, Bias, and Research in Archaeology

Glock, Albert. “Cultural Bias in the Archaeology of Palestine.” Journal of Palestine Studies 24, 2 (1995): 48-59.

(Optional) The following article deal with issues of "ideology" by a group of scholars ("revisionists") who are challenging many long-held assumptions in biblical history and archaeology:

Dever, William G. “Archaeology, Ideology, and the Quest for an ‘Ancient’ or ‘Biblical Israel.’” Near Eastern Archaeology 61, 1 (1998): 39-52.

(Optional) The following article addresses the interrelationship of archaeology and history:

Halpern, Baruch. “Research Design in Archaeology: The Interdisciplinary Perspective.” Near Eastern Archaeology 61, 1 (1998): 53-65.

Bibliography

General Resources:

Meyers, Eric M. (editor). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. 5 volumes; New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Sasson, Jack M. Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. 4 volumes; New York: Scribner, 1995.

Stern, Ephraim (editor). The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. 4 volumes; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.

General Resources on architecture and city planning:

Herzog, Ze'ev. Archaeology of the City: Urban Planning in Ancient Israel and Its Social Implications. Tel Aviv: Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, 1997.

Kempinski, Aaron and Ronny Reich (editors). The Architecture of Ancient Israel from the Prehistoric to the Persian Periods. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1992.

On the history of Archaeology in Syria-Palestine:

Moorey, P. R. S. A Century of Biblical Archaeology. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1991.

Silberman, Neil Asher. Digging for God and Country: Exploration in the Holy Land, 1799-1917. New York: Doubleday, 1982.

On archaeological method:

Dever, William G., and H. Darrell Lance (editors). A Manuel of Field Excavation: Handbook for Field Archaeologists. Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, 1978.