Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 280 pages
- Published by: Left Coast Press March 31, 2008
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 1598743260
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-1598743265
-
Book Dimensions:
9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
- Weighs: 15.2 ounces
Product Review
" Miriam Davis has written a critical yet colorful biography of Dame Kathleen Kenyon, one of the legendary figures in the archaeology of the Holy Land. Drawing on extensive archival work and scores of personal interviews, she charts in detail Kenyon’s early struggle as a lonely lady in a man’s field; her extraordinary life on the digs she dominated at Samaria, Jericho, and Jerusalem; her frequent involvement in political intrigue in the Middle East; and her flamboyant personal style. As someone who knew Dame Kathleen well in Israel in the 1960s –1970s, I can attest that Davis has successfully captured the persona of this remarkable woman, with all her peculiarities, yet with full appreciation of her genius. A splendid accomplishment! As I read it, I could see Dame Kathleen in my mind’s eye. Davis has got it right. " William G. Dever, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Arizona
As I worked with Dame Kathleen for many years and received my doctoral degree under her tutelage at The University of Oxford, it gives me much pleasure to note that Miriam Davis has done a terrific job describing not only “K’s” archaeological career, but also the great influence she had upon her professional associates, students, and many friends, even though at heart she was a fairly shy person.This biography sheds much light on Dame Kathleen’s attempts to excel in ground breaking new archaeological techniques, which she honed while working with the legendary Sir Mortimer Wheeler on roman sites in the British Isles. This training allowed her to apply her knowledge to the excavation and study of foreign ancient sites in diverse locations that included southeast and North Africa, as well as the famous biblical sites at Samaria, Jericho, and Jerusalem, which produced many new and marvelous discoveries. --Thomas Holland, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
"Kathleen Kenyon was the outstanding lady archaeologist of the twentieth century, famous for her excavations at Jericho and Jerusalem. In this penetrating biography of 'K', as she was known to friends, students and colleagues, Miriam Davis has written the definitive account of K's life of action and scholarship in England and the Middle East. Never shirking the difficulties, academic, political, personal, Davis offers balanced judgemets, drawing a portrait true to those of us who knew K and owed her so much. Essential reading for everyone interested in the development f archaeology as an modern intellectual quest as seen through the life of one of the pioneers." - Martin Biddle, Oxford
Product Description
Dame Kathleen Kenyon has always been a larger-than-life figure, likely the most influential lady archaeologist of the 20th century. In the first full-length biography of Kenyon, Miriam Davis recounts not only her many achievements in the field but also her personal side, known to very few of her contemporaries. Her public side is a catalog of major successes: discovering the oldest city at Jericho with its amazing collection of plastered skulls; untangling the archaeological complexities of ancient Jerusalem and identifying the original City of David; participating in the discipline’s most famous all-woman excavation at Great Zimbabwe. Her development (with Sir Mortimer Wheeler) of stratigraphic trenching methods has been universally emulated by archaeologists for over half a century. Her private life—her childhood as daughter of the director of the British Museum, her accidental choice of a career in archaeology, her working at bombed sites in London during the blitz, and her solitary retirement to Wales—are generally unknown. Davis provides a balanced and illuminating picture of both the public Dame Kenyon and the private person.
Search for books at
