Historical Biblical Archaeology and the Future: The New Pragmatism

by Thomas Evan Levy

Overview

Joint winner of the 2011 Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Award in the category "Best Scholarly Book on Archaeology" The archaeology of the Holy Land is undergoing major change. 'Historical Biblical Archaeology and the Future' describes the paradigm shift brought about by objective science-based dating methods, geographic information systems, anthropological models, and digital technology tools. The book serves as a model for how researchers can investigate the relationship between ancient texts (both sacred and profane) and the archaeological record. Influential archaeologists and biblical scholars examine a range of texts, materials and cultures: the Vedas and India; the Homeric legends and Greek Classical Archaeology; the Sagas and Icelandic archaeology; Islamic Archaeology; and the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ayyubid periods. The groundbreaking essays offer a foundation for future research in biblical archaeology, ancient Jewish history and biblical studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781845532581
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Thomas E. Levy is Professor of Anthropology and Judaic Studies at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Formerly, the Assistant Director of the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research (one of the American Schools of Oriental Research) and the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology of the Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, he joined the UCSD faculty in 1992 where he has served as Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Director of the Judaic Studies Program. He has been involved with and served as a principal investigator of several major projects in the Near East including the Jabal Hamrat Fidan project in southern Jordan.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations x

Preface Thomas E. Levy xi

I Into the Future-New Trends in Historical Biblical Archaeology

1 The New Pragmatism: Integrating Anthropological, Digital, and Historical Biblical Archaeologies Thomas E. Levy 3

2 Re-constructing Biblical Archaeology: Toward an Integration of Archaeology and the Bible Shlomo Bunimovitz Avraham Faust 43

3 Future Directions in the Study of Ethnicity in Ancient Israel Avraham Faust 55

4 Biblical Archaeology as Social Action: Two Case Studies David Ilan 69

5 The Archaeology of the Levant in North America: The Transformation of Biblical and Syro-Palestinian Archaeology Aaron A. Burke 81

II Some Applications

6 'Biblical Archaeology' and Egyptology: Old and Middle Kingdom Perspective Miroslav Bárta 99

7 New Perspectives on Levantine Mortuary Ritual: A Cognitive Interpretive Approach to the Archaeology of Death Aaron J. Brody 123

8 Under the Shadow of the Four-Room House: Biblical Archaeology Meets Household Archaeology in Israel Assaf Yasur-Landau 142

9 The Philistines and their Material Culture in Context: Future Directions of Historical Biblical Archaeology for the Study of Cultural Transmission Ann E. Killebrew 156

10 Judha, Masos and Hayil: The Importance of Ethnohistory and Oral Traditions Eveline J. van der Steen 168

11 The Four Pillars of the Iron Age Low Chronology Daniel A. Frese Thomas E. Levy 187

III From Text to Turf

12 Texts in Exile: Towards an Anthropological Methodology for Incorporating Texts and Archaeology Tara Carter Thomas E. Levy 205

13 Excavating the Text of I Kings 9: In Search of the Gates of Solomon William M. Schniedewind 241

14 Culture, Memory, and History: Reflections on Method in Biblical Studies Ronald Hendel 250

15 Archaeology, the Bible and History: The Fall of the House of Omri-and the Origins of the Israelite State Baruch Halpern 262

16 Integrating Archaeology and Texts: The Example of the Qumran Toilet Jodi Magness 285

IV In Perspective

17 Stones, Bones, Texts and Relevance: Or, How I Lost my Fear of Biblical Archaeology and Started Enjoying It Aren Maeir 295

18 A Bible Scholar in the City of David Richard Elliott Friedman 304

19 Books and Stones and Ancient Jewish History: A View from Camp David David Goodblatt 310

20 The Archaeology of Palestine in the Post-Biblical Periods: The Intersection of Text and Artifact Jodi Magness 319

21 The Changing Place of Biblical Archaeology: Exceptionalism or Normal Science? Alexander H. Joffe 328

22 Does 'Biblical Archaeology' Have a Future? William G. Dever 349

Index of Subjects 361

Index of Authors 362

Index of References 373