Books by Israel Finkelstein
This volume is a collection of articles and new essays by Israel Finkelstein that offers an outli... more This volume is a collection of articles and new essays by Israel Finkelstein that offers an outline for reconstructing the evolution of biblical historiography over 700 years, starting with Israel in the early eighth century BCE and ending with the days of the Hasmoneans in the late second century BCE. Special emphasis is given to North Israelite traditions which were committed to writing in the days of Jeroboam II; to the arrival of these traditions in Judah after the takeover of Israel by Assyria; to Judahite ideology of the seventh century BCE; and to the legitimacy needs of the Hasmoneans in the days of John Hyrcanus. The analysis is based on the most recent archaeological discoveries, biblical exegesis and ancient Near Eastern records.
There has been an explosion of recent discoveries in biblical archaeology. These finds have shed ... more There has been an explosion of recent discoveries in biblical archaeology. These finds have shed powerful light on figures and stories from the Bible and completely changed what we know about some of its most famous characters. The reputations of the first great kings, David and Solomon, evolved over hundreds of years. In David and Solomon, leading archaeologists Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman focus on the two great leaders as a window into the entire biblical era. David and Solomon covers one thousand years of ancient civilization, separating fact from legend and proving that the roots of the western tradition lie very deep.
The publication is a synthesis of the results of a study that approaches the problem of locating ... more The publication is a synthesis of the results of a study that approaches the problem of locating the provenance of the Amarna Tablets from a new angle. Through mineralogical and chemical analyses of samples from over 300 tablets housed in museums in Berlin, London, Oxford and Paris, the project aims at pin-pointing their geographic origin and clarifying the geographic history of the ancient Near East. It launches a new analytical tool for resolving historical problems that have haunted research for decades. In the case of the Amarna archive, the introduction of this scientific technique helps to clear up the controversy over the location of Alashiya and Tunip, opens the way to track the territorial expansion of the kingdom of Amurru, enables reconstruction of the territorial disposition of the Canaanite city-states of the Late Bronze Age and sheds light on the Egyptian administration system in Canaan.
In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Sil... more In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors.
They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible - the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua's conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon's vast empire - reflect the world of the later authors rather than actual historical facts.
Challenging the fundamentalist readings of the scriptures and marshaling the latest archaeological evidence to support its new vision of ancient Israel, The Bible Unearthed offers a fascinating and controversial perspective on when and why the Bible was written and why it possesses such great spiritual and emotional power today.
Edited Books by Israel Finkelstein
This 3-volume set is the third in the series of final publications of the Megiddo Expedition (see... more This 3-volume set is the third in the series of final publications of the Megiddo Expedition (see Megiddo III: The 1992–1996 Seasons, 2000; Megiddo IV: The 1998–2002 Seasons, 2006). It reports the finds in the 2004–2008 seasons, with several references to the campaign of 2010. The main topics dealt with are: a final account of the Early Bronze Age cultic compound; excavations of the late Iron I layer in Area H and the Late Bronze II–III layers in Area K; report on the investigation of Schumacher's Nordburg and Chamber f and its surroundings; the Late Bronze II–III, Iron I, and Iron IIA pottery of Megiddo; and a variety of microarchaeology studies.
This is the second in the series of final publications of the Megiddo Expedition. It reports the ... more This is the second in the series of final publications of the Megiddo Expedition. It reports the finds in the 1998-2002 seasons, with several references to the campaign of 2004. The main topics dealt with are the Early Bronze Age temple compound (with an update on the previous publication), the Late Bronze I stratum on the lower mound, the settlement of the late Iron I and its destruction in a fierce conflagration, the elaborate palace (Palace 6000) of the Iron IIA on the northern edge of the mound and the controversial northern stables. It also reports the results of two surveys conducted in the Megiddo countryside.
The remarkable results of several intensive seasons of renewed excavation by the current Expediti... more The remarkable results of several intensive seasons of renewed excavation by the current Expedition at Tel Megiddo are presented in this publication. The stratigraphy of the Early Bronze Age temple compound has been clarified and redated. The largest EB I temple in the Levant, with an extraordinary collection of animal remains in it, was unearthed. The lower mound, never properly explored by prior expeditions, has produced important new information. New light has been shed on one of the most hotly debated issues in biblical archaeology today—the chronology of Iron Age II. The conquest of this highly defended royal citadel of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians and its aftermath are clearly recorded. In order to make the important findings of the first seasons of renewed excavations available to scholars of general and biblical archaeology with as little delay as possible, the Megiddo Expedition made a concerted effort to collate and publish the results speedily. The wealth of material excavated and its significance are presented in these two volumes, which review the work of previous expeditions at the site and describe in detail the most recent work and its results. They constitute an essential reference for students and researchers alike.
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Books by Israel Finkelstein
They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible - the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua's conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon's vast empire - reflect the world of the later authors rather than actual historical facts.
Challenging the fundamentalist readings of the scriptures and marshaling the latest archaeological evidence to support its new vision of ancient Israel, The Bible Unearthed offers a fascinating and controversial perspective on when and why the Bible was written and why it possesses such great spiritual and emotional power today.
Edited Books by Israel Finkelstein