Wonderful volume on the archaeology of Jerusalem in honour of the 3000th anniversary of the establishment of the city by King David (a date of conjecture, to be sure, and with some variability even within the conjecture). In the introduction, Shanks states:
'Through the archaeology of Jerusalem, one can learn about almost everything even remotely connected to the ancient Near East: from Bible and ancient history, art and architecture, burial practices, languages and scripts to geography, water supply systems, chronology, theology, pottery typology, archaeological methodology, warfare and daily life.'
Jerusalem is at or near the centre of three major faiths that have had profound and lasting impact not only on the city or region, but upon the entire world. Jerusalem has long been at an important crossroads in history--military expansion of major empires have had to go through the city; trade routes east and west have always been through or nearby the city -- indeed, Jerusalem has been conquered 23 times in its history. From the sack of the city Salem by King David (who had to conquer it three times before being able to hold it from the Jebusites) to the Moslem reconquest from the Crusaders, archaeological evidence is rich in diverse time periods.
This makes Jerusalem rather like the wall made of successive layers of wallpaper with subtle but distinct patterns--it is hard, when scrapping away layers, to discern accurately which layer belongs to which period.
The first chapter begins with Jerusalem before the Israelites. Despite the year 2000 celebrating the 3000th anniversary of the city, it has in fact a much longer history. Egyptian hieroglyph records show the existence of a city on the site of Jerusalem as early as 1850 B.C.E., called Rushalimum. Continuous occupation can be seen from various records (such as Armana letters) to the year Davidic conquests. However, yet other evidence points to even earlier settlement; pottery dating back to the Chalcolitic period, and architectural remains point to inhabitation as early as 3000 B.C.E., making this truly one of the oldest cities in continuous occupation in the world. From earliest times, Jerusalem has been a 'cosmopolitan' place; even the Bible attests to the fact that despite conquest, the Jebusites remained inhabitants alongside the Israelites. This of course give more credence to the idea of assimilation of the cities and tribal/pastoral groups in Canaan, as opposed to the military conquest idea which is high on glory and patriotic ideal, but short on archaeological evidence. Obviously, if Jebusites still held Jerusalem, Joshua could not have truly conquered the entire land.
Other articles explore the strongholds of Jerusalem, the possible tombs of David and other kings; intrigues about finding (and not finding) evidence of the first Temple, and the difficulties involved in working around presently-functioning holy sites; the Babylonian period of destruction, including preserved clay bullae, one of which bears the name of the prophet Jeremiah's scribe, dated to the proper time period; Jerusalem during the time of Herod and Jesus, including a discussion of the authenticity of 'holy sites' that are pilgrimage sites today; Roman destruction, Byzantine reconstruction, Moslem conquest, Crusader conquest, and Moslem reconquest.
This book has an extensive collection of beautiful photography, timelines, maps and charts. From collections of art and ruins to panoramic views including the beautiful Dome of the Rock, a magnificent piece of Moslem architecture which remains substantially unaltered since it was built 1300 years ago, standing on the site of the Temple mount; to recreations of architecture to textual analysis, this is a book that will treat the eyes and the mind with fascinating detail and general ideas about the sweeping history of this city, and with this, a greater sense of the history of the religions that have shaped the world.
This book was given to me as a gift from my friend Monty, and I continue to be grateful for it - a magnificent gift indeed.
The story of the Holy City, and the dominant building, the Temple, which once contained the Ark of the Covenant. Lost Treasures visits the sacred city exploring its famous walls and gates, and the mysterious temple under which so many secrets maybe buried. Featuring new location footage, stylish period reconstructions, ground-breaking 3D graphics, and animation sequences. With interpretations and analyses by the world’s leading authorities including Richard Andrews, explorer and archaeologist, Dr. David Jacobson of the Palestine Exploration Fund, London, and Professor Martin Goodman of the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies.
ReplyDeleteJerusalem is the most famous city on the planet, a place vibrantly imagined even by people who have never been there. Karen Armstrong, author of the best-selling A History of God, shows why it might also be the most interesting, a sacred ground for rival Christians, Jews and Muslims. Much of her book is devoted to 5,000 years of history, but all of it addresses a longstanding and contemporary fascination unmatched by any other urban center. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
ReplyDeleteFrom Publishers Weekly
British religious scholar Armstrong (A History of God) has written a provocative, splendid historical portrait of Jerusalem that will reward those seeking to fathom a strife-torn city. Her overarching theme, that Jerusalem has been central to the experience and "sacred geography" of Jews, Muslims and Christians and thus has led to deadly struggles for dominance, is a familiar one, yet she brings to her sweeping, profusely illustrated narrative a grasp of sociopolitical conditions seldom found in other books. Armstrong spares none of the three monotheisms in her critique of intolerant policies as she ponders the supreme irony that the Holy City, revered by the faithful as symbol and site of harmony and integration, has been a contentious place where the faiths have fought constantly, not only with one another but within themselves, in bitter factions. Her condemnation of Israel's 1967 annexation of the Old City and East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War ("It was impossible for Israelis to see the matter objectively, since at the [Western Wall] they had encountered the Jewish soul"), however, pushes too far her theme of sacred geography as the physical embodiment of motivating myths and legends.-- they had encountered the Jewish soul"), however, pushes too far her theme of sacred geography as the physical embodiment of motivating myths and legends.
"The Oxford Archaeological Guides offer a wealth of detailed, accurate but always readable information, providing anyone who has a serious interest in archaeology with the means to derive the utmost benefit from a visit to an ancient site. They are user-friendly and highly recommended."--Paul Bahn
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"Always respectful, yet never gullible or preachy, Father Murphy-O'Connor's The Holy Land is by far the best popular guide to its subject ever written. Every entry bears the indelible mark of having been written by someone who knows the place it describes, and has seen it with an expert intelligence and an open mind."--John Romer
Review from previous edition
"A brilliant accomplishment, packed with authoritative information... the one book you must bring with you when you visit Israel."--Walter Zanger
Product Description
The geographic heart and soul of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, the Holy Land has immense significance for the millions of visitors it has attracted since as early as the fifth century BC. Now in an exciting new edition, this popular handbook once again offers tourists an indispensable, illustrated guide to over 200 of the most important archeological and religious sites in the City of Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
Fully updated with all the latest information, The Holy Land presupposes little knowledge of history or archaeology, giving clear directions on how to find sites and monuments of interest--both well-known locations and those less familiar. With entries including the Damascus Gate, the Via Dolorosa, Mount Sion, the Dead Sea, Hebron, and Jericho, this indispensable book includes detailed maps, plans, and illustrations that further illuminate these spectacular locales. Each entry explains the history and topography of a site as well as its function and significance. In his introduction, Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor provides a brief historical outline of the Holy Land, from the Stone Age to the Modern Period, and lists sites accordingly. The Fifth Edition includes new information on the crucial recent developments at the Holy Sepulchre and on six completely new sites, including a Middle Bronze Age water system in Jerusalem and what may be the original Pool of Siloam.
A marvelous Baedeker to both the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, brimming with practical advice and featuring more than 150 high quality site plans, maps, diagrams, and photographs, this book provides the ultimate visitor's guide to one of the richest archaeological regions in the world.
Life in Biblical Israel, despite its conversational tone and appealing visual layout (it contains copious and remarkable photographs, many of them in color), rests on a simple premise: great ideas are as much an expression of a culture as the shape of the pots it uses for wine or the letters it uses for writing. This is the central tenet that undergirds the excellent new volume by L. E. Stager (Harvard) and P. J. King (Boston College). In the case of Biblical Israel, of course, the main artifact bequeathed by the Israelite culture to the modern era is the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament. The idiom of the texts that comprise the canon, King and Stager argue, is as much rooted in the reality of Iron Age western Asia (1200-540 B.C.E.) as are habits of personal adornment (ingeniously illuminated by the authors) or domestic architecture. Biblical texts, therefore, at once express the culture of the Iron Age which archaeologists can reconstruct and are illuminated by that culture. For readers who recognize the productivity of this dialogue and seek the means to enhance it, they can do no better than acquire this book. Ancient interpreters, beginning with biblical authors themselves (who glossed alien terms of antiquity with ones familiar to their audience) and continuing with such seminal figures as Philo and Origen, wrestled with the language, customs, and manners described in the texts. Why? Because texts are not disembodied, even when long traditions of interpretation continuously make those texts meaningful in new contexts. Thus, for anyone who takes the texts seriously, engagement with them requires engagement with the realia of Biblical Israel, from calendars, to family structure, to the implements of war, and the names of pots (ill. 70a-b). These and many other topics are meticulously presented by King and Stager, with insights that go beyond recitation of the data available in standard reference works (including not a few interesting philological observations about the meaning of Hebrew words). This book, then, presents the highest caliber of scholarship in a package that is readable, enjoyable, and very important. It also demonstrates persuasively that the culture of ancient Israel in the Iron Age II-not in the Persian or Hellenistic periods-was the one in which the greater part of the Hebrew Scriptures was conceived and transmitted.
ReplyDeleteThough written for the layperson, this book is still an excellent resource for the scholar in Bible, ancient Near Eastern studies, or any study of culture. Life in Biblical Israel describes the setting of the Hebrew Bible, but not in terms of wars, leaders, and elite society. Professors King and Stager recognize, like Fernand Braudel and Annales historians, that a large part of society is often neglected by its own histories. Thus, they seek to describe how that silent majority lived their everyday lives. The authors of Life in Biblical Israel attempt to describe all of the aspects of the lifeways of the Israelites - how they produced their food, built their houses, procured water, defended their cities, organized their society, kept themselves healthy, expressed themselves through clothing, art, and music, and how they interacted with the divine.
ReplyDeleteFor those skeptical of the Bible's credibility, the book may seem to be a simple attempt to draw archaeological correlations, that is artifactual evidence, for Biblical terminology. Certainly, the book does this, but not out of any theological or apologetic attempt to prove the Bible as accurate. Accepting that the archaeological record and the Bible provide two types of descriptions of the same society, King and Stager gather all of the information they can from both sources. The many photographs and drawings in the book show many examples from the archaeological source. A quick glance at the Scriptural Index at the back of the book shows how thoroughly the authors combed the Biblical text. At the same time, the authors use each source to supplement the defficiencies of the other. For example, artifacts can often be identified as to their uses, but they have no names in their native languages, and how they are used is often not known. King and Stager do an excellent job with the details of exactly how the ancient people accomplished what they did.
There have been very few other attempts to so document ancient Israel as a cultural and social entity. Previous works using both the textual and archaeological evidence in concert mostly have focused on one aspect of the culture, usually something relevant to the upper classes or the political or military establishment. Others have subsumed their archaeological and biblical discussion beneath other arguments, in which case they have reduced the amount of evidence and increased the number of conclusions to be drawn. King and Stager, on the other hand, have written a book which deals primarily with the culture of all of Israel as expressed through its material and literary remains; they have no other axe to grind, and they present more data and fewer conclusions. Instead they are working first and foremost to describe as best they can how people lived in the Iron Age in Israel.
This book will serve as an excellent textbook both in archaeology and Bible courses. It can also serve as a reference work both for the layperson and the scholar interested in either subject. Perhaps the best reason to use this book, however, is that it succeeds in its aim of portraying the details of ancient Israelite life. The many illustrations truly enable readers to visualize each aspect of the culture.
Life in Biblical Israel (Library of Ancient Israel)
ReplyDeleteThere are many gems in this book that will explain otherwise difficult biblical texts. The authors are interested in using the latest archaeological data to shed light on the Scriptures (see, for example, King's earlier commentary on Jeremiah). It will take time for all of the information in this book to make it into popular biblical commentaries (it is cutting edge information, as the authors themselves are active archaeologists). This book is a concentrated collection of journal quality insights written at a popular level.
Before I bought this book, I heard one of the co-authors (Dr. Stager of Harvard) lecture on his contribution to the book. He is a master investigator of the ancient near eastern ideas of temple and garden. Stager brilliantly communicates how Israel's Temple and Garden Story relate to (and are informed by) their original contexts. Adjective fail me, I can only say that his work is staggering.
I would be remiss if I did not make this plug: the pictures alone are worth the price of the book. The book is printed completely on photo quality paper with full color images throughout.
This book is a must have for any student of archaeology, the Bible or Israel.
A brand new title featuring illuminating text written by expert, local writers alongside over 250 inspiring full-colour photographs that will bring Israel's people and places to life, at the turn of a page. A special 'Best of' feature highlights the top attractions not to be missed, including Jerusalem's Old City, Bethlehem and Nazareth. The 'Editor's Choice' section covers exclusive and unique recommendations, including the best beaches, markets, walks, and even some handy money-saving tips. From the key sites rich in history and religious significance, to the simple pleasures of a Dead Sea mud bath and a walk along one of Israel's beautiful beaches, all of Israel's attractions are included to ensure you experience the very best of this diverse destination, whatever your interests. An in-depth 'Places' section covers the entire country, from the pastoral landscapes of the bible to the modern buzz of Tel Aviv. All the principal sites are conveniently cross-referenced by number to accompanying full-colour maps throughout the guide to enable instant orientation and easy navigation at a glance. You will also find a fascinating chapter on the country's long and intriguing history from the 'Dawn of Civilization' to the 'Coming of Age', alongside attractive, colour-coded features exploring Israel's people, religion, cuisine, art and much more. A comprehensive 'Travel Tips' section provides essential practical information, covering transport, accommodation for all budgets, eating out, nightlife, shopping, activities for children and much more, along with useful contact telephone numbers to help you book activities in advance. The unique combination of insightful exploration alongside practical advice means that this guide truly is a pleasure to read before, during and after your visit.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Israel a number of times, including a couple of fairly extended stays. I know a lot about the country and its people. But for this trip, which I took with my young adult daughter, I wanted a guide book. I wanted a guide book so that I could look up specifics on places of which my memory or knowledge was vague, and also so that my daughter would have a reference for general background information, including history, culture, etc. This book was excellent for those purposes. At times it seems a little thin, but that is just because there is simply so much to see in Israel, and so much to say about it, that it is impossible to do it even guide-book-level justice in a book of this size. So my pointing to the occasional apparent thinness is not a criticism of the book but a recognition of the inevitable compromise it must represent, and I think the authors have struck that balance fairly well. I suggest you use this guide for deciding what you want to see, learning a little background, and finding it. But then you will need to pick up local materials (maps, brochures, etc.) for more in-depth knowledge. Buyers of this book should be aware that it is a guide to Israel itself, not to hotels, restaurants, etc. The book is physically of high quality, with many color pictures printed on strong, high-quality paper. If anything, the physical quality of the book makes it a bit heavy for something to travel with. On the whole I heartily recommend it.
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