If you have trouble accessing this page, contact: Chris Dargis (cadargis@wisc.edu)
Latest revision: 8/10/2005 (cad)
Introduction to Biblical Archaeology
Hebrew and Semitic Studies 241/Jewish Studies 241
Introduction to Biblical Archaeology, either Hebrew and Semitic Studies 241 or Jewish Studies 241, meets on Thursday night between 6:30 and 9:15 pm in Room 1100 Grainger Hall. Jeffrey A. Blakely is the instructor for the class. Office hours will be Thursday afternoon from 2:00 to 3:00 pm at Café Espresso Royale and Thursday evening from 5:15 to 6:15 pm in the classroom should it be available, or, failing that, outside and in front of the classroom. Other times can be arranged by calling my home number, 238-2227 (before 9 pm). I can also be reached by EMAIL at jblakely@wisc.edu. I can usually guarantee a response within 24 hours.
Each class consists of a 120-minute lecture, a 15-minute break, and a 30-minute discussion covering the lecture, the assigned readings, and, if desired, optional readings. The sequence of lecture and discussion may vary. Grading for the course is based on a book review essay (15%), a term paper (40%), a take home mid-term exam (15%), and a take home final exam (30%). The mid-term exam will be distributed on 20 October via email and will be due via email on 27 October at 6:30 pm. The final exam will be distributed during the final class period and will be due via email before 9:25 pm 17 Saturday December or that evening between 7:25 and 9:25 pm in the exam room. Auditors will be required neither to take exams nor to prepare papers, but will be expected to complete the readings and participate in class discussion.
Two texts are required which are copied and available at the bookstores:
Silberman, Neil A.
1982 Digging for God and Country. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
(Blakely)
A course packet of 13 articles from Biblical Archaeologist/Near Eastern Archaeology
Three recommended texts are also available at the bookstores. They cover much of the same material, but from different perspectives. A few brief sections from these texts are assigned as required readings and for that purpose copies are also available in the Reserve Room of Helen C. White Undergraduate Library.
Ben-Tor, Amnon, ed.
1992 The Archaeology of Ancient Israel. New Haven: Yale University Press.
King, Philip J., and Lawrence E. Stager
2002 Life in Biblical Israel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
May, Herbert G., ed.
1984 Oxford Bible Atlas, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
The following books and articles are either on 3-hour or 3-day reserve in the Reserve Room of Helen C. White Undergraduate Library. Some of these books and articles will be assigned or noted in class lectures or discussion. Other books and articles on reserve may be useful for research papers or book reviews.
Aharoni, Yohanan
1979 The Land of the Bible: Historical Geography, rev. and trans. by Anson Rainey. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. BS 630 A4213 1979.
Albright, William Foxwell
1960 The Archaeology of Palestine. Baltimore: Penguin Books. DS 108.9 A6 1960.
Bar-Yosef, Ofer
1980 Prehistory of the Levant. Annual Review of Anthropology 9: 101-133. XEROX on Reserve – RB Hebr St 241 1.
Ben-Arieh, Yehoshua
1983 The Rediscovery of the Holy Land in the Nineteenth Century. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society. DS 125 B3813.
Ben-Tor, Amnon, ed.
1992 The Archaeology of Ancient Israel. New Haven: Yale University Press. DS111 A2 M3513.
Blakely, Jeffrey A.
n.d. Plans of Iron Age Tell en-Nasbeh, Tell Beer-Sheba, Tell Beit Mirsim, and Tell ed-Duweir; and Hellenistic Period Tell Sandahannah. XEROX on Reserve – RB Hebr St 241 2.
Bliss, Frederick Jones
1906 The Development of Palestine Exploration. New York: Scribner’s Sons. DS 108.9 B5.
Dahlberg, Bruce T., and Kevin G. O'Connell, S.J., ed.
1989 Tell el-Hesi: The Site and the Expedition. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns. DS 110 T4 B58 4/ 1 201.
Davis, Thomas William
2004 Shifting Sands: The Rise and Fall of Biblical Archaeology. New York: Oxford University Press. BS 621 D38 2004.
Dever, William G.
1990 Recent Archaeological Discoveries and Biblical Research. Seattle: University of Washington Press. BS 621 D49 1990.
Drinkard, Joel F.; Gerald L. Mattingly; and J. Maxwell Miller
1988 Benchmarks in Time and Culture. Essays in Honor of Joseph A. Callaway. Atlanta: Scholars Press. DS 94.5 B46 1988.
Kenyon, Kathleen M.
1987 The Bible and Recent Archaeology, rev. ed. by P.R.S. Moorey. Atlanta: John Knox Press. BS 621 K4 1987.
Killebrew, Ann, and Steven Fine
1991 Qatzrin: Reconstructing Village Life in Talmudic Times. Biblical Archaeology Review 17 (3): 44-56, XEROX on Reserve – RB Hebr St 241 5.
King, Philip J., and Lawrence E. Stager
2001 Life in Biblical Israel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press. DS112 K48 2001.
Lapp, Paul W.
1969 Biblical Archaeology and History. New York: World Publishing Company. BS 621 L35.
Levy, Thomas Evan, ed.
1995 The Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land. New York: Facts On File. DS 112 A73 1994.
May, Herbert G., ed.
1984 Oxford Bible Atlas, 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press. BS630 O96 1984.
Mazar, Amihai
1990 Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000 - 586 B.C.E. Garden City: Doubleday. BS621 M39 1992.
Moorey, P.R.S
1991 A Century of Biblical Archaeology. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press. BS621 M583.
Netzer, Ehud
1991 The Last Days and Hours at Masada. Biblical Archaeology Review 17 (6): 20-32. XEROX on Reserve – RB Hebr St 241 8.
Rast, Walter E.
1992 Through the Ages in Palestinian Archaeology: An Introductory Handbook. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International. DS111 R27 1992.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan, ed.
1995 The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades. New York: Oxford University Press. D156 O48 1997.
Shanks, Hershel, ed.
1997 Tracking the Shapira Case. Biblical Archaeology Review 23 (3): 32-41, 66-67. XEROX on Reserve – RB Hebr St 241 13.
Shepherd, Naomi
1987 The Zealous Intruders: The Western Rediscovery of Palestine. San Francisco: Harper and Row. DS 107 S54 1988.
Silberman, Neil A.
1982 Digging for God and Country. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. CC 101 I75 1982/1990.
1992 Who Were the Israelites? Archaeology 56 (2): 22-30. XEROX on Reserve – RB Hebr St 241 12.
Smith, George Adam
1972 The Historical Geography of the Holy Land, 25th Edition. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith. Memorial Library DS 107 S6 1972.
Stiebing, William H., Jr.
1993 Uncovering the Past: A History of Archaeology. Buffalo: Prometheus Books. CC100 S75 1994.
Vaux, Roland de
1973 Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls. London: Oxford University Press. DS 110 Q8 V313 1973.
Vermes, Geza
1978 The Dead Sea Scrolls: Qumran in Perspective. Cleveland: Collins World. BM 175 Q6 V47 1978.
Wright, George Ernest
1957 Biblical Archaeology. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. BS 620 W7.
Yadin, Yigael
1963 The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands in Light of Archaeological Study, vol. 2 New York: McGraw-Hill. Memorial Library U 29 Y3.
The syllabus and readings for the course are as follows:
Week 1 (8 September) - Introduction to the Course; Research in the 19th Century, and the Geological, Geographical, and Topological Background of Palestine
Required Reading: Moorey, pp. 1-24
May, pp. 9-17, 48-53
Levy (1995), pp. 9-23
Optional Readings: Davis, pp. 3-46
Aharoni, all
Smith, all
Week 2 (15 September) - Palestinian Archaeology and History
Required Readings: Moorey, pp. 25-53
May, pp. 18-47, 92-96
Optional Readings: Davis, pp. 47-144
Lapp, pp. 1-107
Rast, pp. 1-45
Week 3 (22 September) - Archaeology, the Bible, and Archaeological Method in Palestine
Required Readings: May, pp. 92-96
Levy (1995), pp. 24-57
Optional Readings: Moorey, pp. 114-178
Davis, pp. 145-156
Frank and Horton in Dahlberg and O’Connell, pp. 88-96
Rose in Dahlberg and O’Connell, pp. 72-87
Eakins in Drinkard et al, pp. 441-454
Week 4 (29 September) - The Neolithic Period, Chalcolithic Period, and the Early Bronze Age; Archaeology; and the Environment (ca. 8000 - ca. 2000 BCE)
Required Reading: Banning, pp. 188-237
Levy, pp. 82-108
Richard, pp. 22-43
Optional Reading: Ben-Tor, pp. 10-125
Bar-Yosef, pp. 101-133
Coogan, pp. 1-31
Levy (1995), pp. 93-296
Week 5 (6 October) - (Book Review Due) - The Middle Bronze Age and the Hyksos; Fortification Systems (ca. 2000 - ca. 1540 BCE)
Required Reading: Dever (1987), pp. 148-177
Optional Readings: Ben-Tor, pp. 126-210
Coogan, pp. 32-77
Levy (1995), pp. 297-319
Week 6 (13 October) - Yom Kippur - Going on a Dig, optional class
Required Readings: none
Week 7 (20 October) - The Late Bronze Age and the Iron I; Settlements and Ethnicity (ca. 1540 - ca. 1000 BCE); Mid-Term passed out electronically during class and due 27 October before 6:30 pm
Required Reading: Leonard, pp. 4-39
Bloch-Smith and Nakhai, pp. 62-92, 101-127
Optional Readings: Ben-Tor, pp. 211-301
Coogan, pp. 177-218
Levy (1995), pp. 220-365
Week 8 (27 October) - The Exodus and Conquest, Settlement, or Assimilation; Which Model Works? Everyone is supposed to meet with me for between 15 and 30 minutes during this week to go over progress their term paper (Mid-Term due before 6:30 pm.)
Required Reading: Coogan, pp. 78-175
Kenyon, Kathleen M., The Bible and Recent Archaeology (Atlanta: John Knox,
1978), pp. 25-43. BS 621 K4 1978
Silberman, Neil A., “Who Were the Israelites?” Archaeology 45 (2) 1992: 22-30. XEROX on Reserve – RB Hebr St 241 12
Optional Reading: Dever (1990), pp. 37-84
Gottwald, Norman K., The Tribes of Yahweh: A Sociology of Liberated Israel, 1250-1050 BCE (London: SCM Press, 1979). BS 1199 S6 G67
Mendenhall, George E., “The Hebrew Conquest of Canaan,” Biblical Archaeologist
25 (1962): 66-87
Dever, William G., “Archaeology and the Israelite Conquest,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. by David N. Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992), vol. 3 pp 545-58. Memorial BS 440 A54 1992
Finkelstein, Israel, “Ethnicity and Origin of the Iron I Settlers in the Highlands of
Canaan: Can the Real Israel Stand Up?” Biblical Archaeologist 59 (4) 1996: 198-212
Zertal, Adam, “Israel Enters Canaan,” Biblical Archaeology Review 17 (5) 1991: 28-
49 and 75
Week 9 (3 November) - Philistines, Saul, David, and Solomon (ca. 1000- ca. 930 B.C.E); The Bible as Myth?
Required Reading: Handout
Optional Reading: Biran, Avraham and Joseph Naveh, “An Aramaic Stele Fragment
from Tel Dan,” Israel Exploration Journal 43 (2) 1993: 81-98
Coote, Robert B., and Keith W. Whitelam, The Emergence of Early Israel in
Historical Perspective (Sheffield: Almond Academic Press, 1987). DS 121 C6 1987
[Shanks, Hershel], “Face to Face: Biblical Minimalists Meet their Challengers,” Biblical Archaeology Review 23 (4) 1997: 26-42, 66
Week 10 (10 November) - The Iron II: Kingdoms of Israel and Judah; Siege Warfare (ca. 930 - 586
BCE)
Required Reading: Herr, pp. 114-183
Optional Reading: Ben-Tor, pp. 302-373
Levy (1995), pp. 368-431
Coogan, pp. 221-365
Week 11 (17 November) - The Persian Period and the Hellenistic Age (586 - 63 BCE)
Required Reading: Coogan, pp. 366-419
Berlin, pp. 2-51
Optional Readings: Coogan, pp. 421-465
Levy (1995), pp. 432-445
May, pp. 60-81
Rast, pp. 145-190
Week 12 (24 November) - No Class, Thanksgiving
Week 13 (1 December) - Guest Lecturer Tod Twist of the Hebrew Dept.; The Dead Sea Scrolls, Sects, Writing, and History
Required Readings: A packet will be passed out in early November
Week 14 (8 December) - The Roman and Byzantine Periods; International Commerce (63 BCE -
630/640 CE) (Term paper due)
Required Reading: Chancey and Porter, pp. 164-203
Parker, pp. 134-180
Killebrew and Fine, pp. 44-56
Optional Readings:Kenyon, pp. 151-183
Levy (1995), pp. 446-487
Frend, W. H. C., 1996, The Archaeology of Early Christianity: A History.
Minneapolis: Fortress Press. Memorial BR 132 F74 1996
Week 15 (15 December) - The Early Islamic, Crusader, and Late Islamic Periods; East versus West (630/640 - 1918 CE); Course Review; Final Exam passed out
Required Reading: Schick, pp. 74-108
Boas, pp. 138-174
Walker, pp. 202-232
Optional Reading: Levy (1995), pp. 488-541
Riley-Smith, pp. 112-140, 217-259
Final Exam ( 17 December) - Due before 9:25 pm or through Email; or, probably, in Room 1100
Grainger Hall, but this location is far from certain at this point
All papers and book reviews will be due on the designated date. There will be no extensions of this deadline without penalty. Papers may be submitted in hard copy, on 3½ inch IBM-compatible computer disks using Windows and a current version of either a current version of WordPerfect or Word, or attached through my EMAIL account. The format for papers will be presented separately.
Book review essays should briefly summarize the content of Silberman’s Digging for God and Country, and then provide your assessment of the book’s strengths and weaknesses (e.g., is it confusing to read, was it thorough in covering the given topic, is it now out of date, is there value in reading it given other things you have read, and did the author accomplish his stated goals). Do Silberman’s conclusions extend beyond the time frame he studied? Does a knowledge of 19th century archaeological research help explain work today? You might compare aspects of the book with class readings or class lectures. You might read published reviews of the book to gain new insight. The text and any bibliography should be seven to eight double-spaced pages long. Books which might assist in your review essay, include the following titles, many of which are on reserve in the Helen C. White Undergraduate Library:
Ben-Arieh, Yehoshua
1983 The Rediscovery of the Holy Land in the Nineteenth Century. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society. DS 125 B3813.
Bliss, Frederick Jones
1906 The Development of Palestine Exploration. New York: Scribner’s Sons. DS 108.9 B5.
Davis, Thomas William
2004 Shifting Sands: The Rise and Fall of Biblical Archaeology. New York: Oxford University Press. BS 621 D38 2004.
Robinson, Edward
1841 Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai, and Arabia Petraea, 2 vols. London: John Murray. Memorial Library DS 107 R65 1841.
Shepherd, Naomi
1987 The Zealous Intruders: The Western Rediscovery of Palestine. San Francisco: Harper and Row. DS 107 S54 1988.
Smith, George Adam
1972 The Historical Geography of the Holy Land, 25th Edition. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith. Memorial Library DS 107 S6 1972.
Stiebing, William H., Jr.
1993 Uncovering the Past: A History of Archaeology. Buffalo: Prometheus Books. CC100 S75 1994
Thomson, William McClure
1874 The Land and the Book, 2 vols. New York: Harper. Memorial Library G61 T38 (Cutter).
Term papers are expected to be research essays with references and a bibliography. I can help direct you to necessary sources from which to start. Other sources may be found in a data base at
http://library.weber.edu/cm/wkotter/baesl.cfm The text and notes of these papers should be between 15 and 20 double-spaced pages long, not counting bibliography or illustrations. Pick a certain phase at a site, or a certain type of structure found at many sites, or an artifact type or phenomenon seen at many sites and examine this topic. How is it interpreted? Why? Is there a controversy over this topic? What is the basis of this controversy? Available topics include, but are not limited to (again check with me before going beyond this list):
Stratum A at Tell Beit Mirsim
Level III at Lachish (Tell ed-Duweir)
The Fosse Temple at Lachish
Level II at Beer-Sheva
Megiddo Strata II, III, IV, or V
The EB-MB Tombs at Jericho
The EB Tombs at Bab edh-Dhra’
Ai (et-Tell)
Herodian Caesarea Maritima
Byzantine Caesarea Maritima
Jerusalem Temple (Solomonic or Herodian)
Church of Holy Sepulcher
City of David (Jerusalem)
Stratum V at Tell el-Hesi
Middle Bronze Age Shechem
Beth Shearim
Beth Shean (Iron Age or Byzantine)
Masada
Early Bronze Age Arad
Iron Age Arad
Late Bronze Age Hazor
Iron II Hazor
Byzantine Period Jerash
Water Systems
Siege Warfare
Agriculture in the Iron Age
Stables or Storehouses of the Iron Age
The “Solomonic Gate”
Chronology of the Iron II
Stamp Seals of the Iron II
The Lachish Ostraca
Crusader Castles
Mesad Hashavyahu
Madaba Map
Petra
Proto-Canaanite
Script