Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 128 pages
- Published by: Baker Academic August 1, 1999
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0801022134
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0801022135
-
Book Dimensions:
8.2 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
- Weighs: 6.4 ounces
Product Review
At last, a book on the basics of Palestinian archaeology! John Currids much-needed text fills a significant gap in the currently available literature in the field. Archaeology in the Land of the Bible is an great introduction that will be of great assistance to the beginning student as well as to the interested layperson. --
Bryant G. Wood, Associates for Biblical ResearchCurrids volume is a useful introduction to archaeologyits history, vocabulary, and methodsfor the beginner. The systematic unveiling of these themes provides a stratigraphy for study that many students and lay persons will find fascinating. In addition, the short bibliographies add substance to the work, allowing readers to take the additional step of further study. Such aids to first-time student excavators have often taken the form of Xeroxed handouts. Currid has provided them with an easy reference work that they can read on the plane to Israel and pull out during the excavation to explain what is happening around them. --
Victor H. Matthews, Southwest Missouri State UniversityIn this brief study, Currid sketches the birth and development of archaeological method and answers many of the basic questions having to do with field work. The book should be a must read for anyone interested in volunteering to participate on a dig in Palestine. The bibliographies concluding each chapter will greatly help the reader who wishes to know more. --
Alfred J. HoerthProfessor Currid has written an great manual for the history and practice of archaeological excavation in the Middle East, systematically outlined with considerable bibliographical documentation. I recommend the work as supplementary reading for courses requiring a knowledge of the history and methodology of ancient Near Eastern archaeology. I plan to use it as a supplementary text in my classes, both on the introductory and advanced levels. --
John McRay, Wheaton College Graduate School
Product Description
A popular introduction to archaeology and the methods archaeologists use to reconstruct the history of ancient Israel.
Reader ReviewsThis is a great little book (128 p.) that aims to instruct neophyte archaeologists in the history and core concepts of biblical archaeology. Given the length of the book, it's obvious that nothing is covered exhaustively. But that's not the aim of the book. Currid answers "what is Biblical archaeology?", then follows with a brief history of the field outlining the different techniques and approaches over the past 2 centuries. He then discusses, in individual chapters, the importance and structure of tells (mounds = habitation), land surveying, site identification, the process of excavation, data collection methods, data interpretation, the importance of pottery in archaeology, the philosophy of pottery chronology, the importance of small finds (anything non-pottery), and finally buildings and structures. He keenly closes the book by applying and integrating the concepts discussed in the previous chapters to the archaeology currently being undertaken at Bethsaida. This final chapter is extremely interesting as he shows the importance of each element in acquiring and interpreting data. A helpful B&W map is found early in the book, on which I was able to find all but 1 or 2 of the many sites he mentions. Closeby the map page is a small table showing the breakdown of the various ages (Bronze, Iron, etc.) and their respective date ranges. Several picures are included that assist in understanding vital concepts. Archaeological terms discussed in the text are defined further in inset boxes on the same page. The book is very well done, and perfect for those interested in biblical archaeology (which everyone should be), but uneducated in the basics of the field. Highly recommended.
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