Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1 Why this Book Had to Be Written 1
Defusing the Tension between the Bible and Archaeology
Why Explore the Judean Hills?
The Uniqueness of the Bible
Chapter 2 Understanding Time and Place 13
Chronology
The Geographical Structure of the Judean Hills
Chronological Table of Biblical Archaeological Periods of Israel
Neighboring Regions
Excavations
Chapter 3 A Review of Past Studies 27
Excavations
Chapter 4 Archaeology and the Bible 33
The Patriarchal Period
Settlements and Culture
Literacy and Illiteracy
Denial of the Historical Authenticity of Genesis
To Which Population Group did the Patriarchs Belong?
Chapter 5 The Conquest of the Land of Israel 53
The Conquest as Recounted in the Book of Joshua
The Late Bronze Age, 1550-1150 BCE
The Onset of the Iron Age in the Hill Country-a New Look
Conquests Recorded in the Book of Judges
The Destruction of the Shiloh Center-the End of an Era
How Jerusalem became the Capital
Chapter 6 The Israelite Monarchy 119
Archaeological Finds of the Israelite Monarchy
Cities during the Israelite Monarchy
Arguments For and Against Solomon as the Great Builder
Why has Nothing from the Days of Solomon been Found in Jerusalem and Judea?
The Kingdoms of David and Solomon: Sources of Wealth
Why Have We Found No Inscriptions by Israelite Kings?
The Kingdom Splits
Central Events in the Kingdom of Judah at the Time of the Split
Population Estimates for Israel during the Period of the Two Kingdoms
Religion and Ritual in the First Temple Period
The Kingdom of Judah-the Only Kingdom
The Last Days of Judah
Recent Archeological Updates
Chapter 7 Excavations and Findings 231
The Intermediate Bronze Age
Settlements in the Jerusalem Area
Sites in the Negev
Graves and Burial
The Origin of the Intermediate Bronze Age People
The Middle Bronze Age in Israel
Fortified Settlements
Evidence of Jerusalem
Bet-Zur
Tel Hebron
Unfortified Settlements in the Middle Bronze Age
The Settlement Pattern in the Judean Hills
Judean Hills Settlement Distribution
The Settlement Pattern in the Judean Hills - MBA
Regional Analysis of the Geographical Pattern in the Jerusalem Hills and in the Bet-El Hills
A Population Estimate in the Judean Hills
Judean Sites in Comparison with the Samaria Region
Economy and Survival in the Middle Bronze Age
Pottery - Chronological and Regional Aspects
The Political Status of the Judean Hills in light of Archaeological Findings
The Internal Political System in the Central Hill Country
The End of Middle Bronze Culture, a New Look
A Summary of the Archaeological Picture in the Middle Bronze Age
Chapter 8 Summary and Contusions 331
Geography
Archaeology
Summary
The Bible
Appendix 343
Joshua bin-Nun and King Solomon in Ancient Historical Sources
Joshua bin-Nun
King Solomon
Endnotes 351
Index 391
