Description: 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.
Brief description: 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, 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).
Review Quotes: "The strengths of Magness' volume are fourfold: first, it is well illustrated with maps and photographs; second, descriptions of archaeological periods are concise and salient; third, the information in the sidebars is used to debunk some of the pseudo-science that is prevalent in the media and in popolar culture; fourth, this textbook is written in a manner that makes this subject matter accessible to undergraduate students ... It is readable and her use of contemporary analogies in order to illustrate archaeological methods is excellent."
Benjamin Adam Saidel, East Carolina University