The Archaeology of the Holy Land: From the Destruction of Solomon's Temple to the Muslim Conquest

by Jodi Magness

This book provides an introduction to the archaeology and history of ancient Palestine – modern Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories – from the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 BCE to the Muslim conquest in 640 CE. Special attention is paid to the archaeology of Jerusalem and the Second Temple period, in the time of Herod the Great and Jesus. For each period, the book offers a historical background for the Mediterranean world and the ancient Near East, as well as the events in Palestine. Major sites such as Masada, Caesarea Maritima and Petra are examined in archaeological and historical detail, along with the material culture – coins, pottery, glass and stone vessels – of each period. This book provides a thorough overview of the archaeology of this historically vibrant part of the world.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity

397 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2012

About the author

Jodi Magness is the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author and editor of several books, including Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus (2011); The Archaeology of the Early Islamic Settlement in Palestine (2003); and The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (2002).

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It was used as a textbook for an online course I took. It starts out with a brief overview of the history of Israel (Syria-Palestine) before and just after the Israelite monarchies before taking more focused looks at specific time intervals starting at 586 BCE with the destruction of Solomon's Temple until the Muslim conquest in 750 CE. It has a lot if information in each chapter, covering the history of the region as well as archaeological finds, major events that occurred in the region, religious beliefs, how different peoples interacted with each other, and a host of other information. Truly, each chapter is a wealth of information (although some chapters do seem to focus on specific archaeological finds as opposed to "more general subjects" or "topics" - for example, one chapter is devoted almost exclusively to various synagogues in the region during a specific time period). I know I said this already, but there was a LOT of information in each chapter!

Some things that stood out to me while reading: the chapter on the Essenes was interesting to read, as scholars and scientists theorized how this group of people lived and survived in the desert. I thought the 'focus points' about coins and minting was also fascinating. Specific coins from specific countries were favored over others because it was believed those countries were more accurate about the values and weights of their coins over others. It was also interesting to learn that a means by which synagogues had been dated for over one hundred years had to be 'discarded' because it was recently discovered to be highly inaccurate, and a new method of dating synagogues had to be created. I was surprised to learn how much 'pagan culture' the Jewish people absorbed and incorporated into their own belief system(s) and culture. It was pretty amazing to learn, to be honest, how much other cultures, especially Greek and Roman culture, influenced and impacted Israel/Palestine.

It was a fun book to read. It moved at a good pace, despite having so much 'stuff' crammed in to it. It was well-worth the read, and I can see keeping the textbook as a future resource to refer back to in my personal studies and 'self-education/edification.'

[Bishoi Aziz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever read.

First, the book is very readable. The intro provides definitions of main terms which helps non-experts in archaeology navigating the book. Also as the book progresses, it takes the reader step by step not assuming the reader knows any details, something I rarely find in archaeological books.

Second, the writer managed successfully to avoid her personal biases providing a very neutral views laying the different theories. Such attitude is extremely important when you handle such a difficult topic as the archeology of the holy land; this touches all the three Ibrahimic religions especially Judaism and Christianity. While this attitude, makes it difficult for one to build a concrete picture and narrative, it provides a safe reference for the archeological findings in the land.!

This book is a must to read for those trying to seek accurate reliable information about the holy land’s history and archeology away from the biased religious traditions.!

[Aleksandar Jovcic · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very easy to read and approachable book, the chapters are split up well into the different sections. Each chapter is also split into different sections within them on pottery, geography, climate etc. the chapters are a good length and concise but informative.

As far as the archaeological writing goes the book does well but when it delves into historical conclusions it seems to be quite biased and uninformed. The writer uses one or two archaeological proofs (which are quite unconvincing) to make historical conclusions, which can be easily disproved if she were aware of other historical texts and sources.

The writer is an atheist who is quite hostile towards Christianity so be especially weary when she makes conclusions about Christianity.

[Andre Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good introduction to the subject

Excellent book well written and concise. Material for each chapter is supported by good illustrations. References provided are useful and help me in my research.

[Laura Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was an assigned text for class. Clear easy to follow. Each section begins with historical context to help you place the archaeology.

[D]

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