Israel Finkelstein is a professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University. He is a leading figure in the archaeology of the Levant and the laureate of the 2005 Dan David Prize in the Past Dimension—Archaeology. Finkelstein served for many years as the Director of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University and is the co-Director of the Megiddo Expedition. He is the co-author, with Neil Silberman, of The Bible Unearthed and the author of many field reports and scholarly articles.

Neil Asher Silberman is director of historical interpretation for the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in Belgium. He is a contributing editor to Archaeology magazine and the author of The Hidden Scrolls: Christianity, Judaism, and the War for the Dead Sea Scrolls; The Message and the Kingdom; and Digging for God and Country, among other books.

Contents

Prologue: In the Days of King Josiah

Introduction: Archaeology and the Bible

PART ONE

The Bible as History?

• Searching for the Patriarchs
• Did the Exodus Happen?
• The Conquest of Canaan
• Who Were the Israelites?
• Memories of a Golden Age?

PART TWO

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Israel

• One State, One Nation, One People? (C. 930-720 BCE)
• Israel's Forgotten First Kingdom (884-842 BCE)
• In the Shadow of Empire (842-720 BCE)

PART THREE

Judah and the Making of Biblical History

• The Transformation of Judah (C. 930-705 BCE)
• Between War and Survival (705-639 BCE)
• A Great Reformation (639-586 BCE)
• Exile and Return (586-C. 440 BCE)

Epilogue: The Future of Biblical Israel

Appendix A: Theories of the Historicity

of the Patriarchal Age

Appendix B: Searching for Sinai

Appendix C: Alternative Theories of the Israelite Conquest

Appendix D: Why the Traditional Archaeology of the

Davidic and Solomonic Period Is Wrong

Appendix E: Identifying the Era of Manasseh

in the Archaeological Record

Appendix F: How Vast Was the Kingdom of Josiah?

Appendix G: The Boundaries of the Province of Yehud

Bibliography

Index