Recent Archaeological Discoveries and Biblical Research

202 Pages·1993·10.3 MB·English

by  William G. Dever

THE SAMUEL AND ALTHEA STROUM LECTURES
IN JEWISH STUDIES

Recent
Archaeological
Discoveries
and
Biblical
Research
WILLIAM G. DEVER
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS
Seattle and London
Copyright © 1990 by the University of Washington Press
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,
recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dever, William G.
Recent archaeological discoveries and biblical research
(Samuel and Althea Stroum lectures in Jewish studies)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Bible. a.T.-Antiquities. 2. Palestine-
Antiquities. 3. Excavations (Archaeology)-Palestine.
I. Title. II. Series.
BS621.D49 1989 88-34386
ISBN 13: 978-0-295-972619
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of Ameri
can National Standard for Information Sciences - Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
THE SAMUEL AND ALTHEA STROUM LECTURES
IN JEWISH STUDIES
Samuel Stroum, businessman, community leader, and philanthropist, by
a major gift to the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, established the
Samuel and Althea Stroum Philanthropic Fund.
In recognition of Mr. and Mrs. Stroum's deep interest in Jewish history
and culture, the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Seattle, in cooperation with the Jewish Studies Program of the Henry M.
Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington,
established an annual lectureship at the University of Washington known
as the Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectureship in Jewish Studies. This lec
tureship makes it possible to bring to the area outstanding scholars and
interpreters of Jewish thought, thus promoting a deeper understanding
of Jewish history, religion, and culture. Such understanding can lead to
an enhanced appreciation of the Jewish contributions to the historical and
cultural traditions that have shaped the American nation.
The terms of the gift also provide for the publication from time to time
of the lectures or other appropriate materials resulting from or related to
the lectures.
THE SAMUEL AND ALTHEA STROUM LECTURES
IN JEWISH STUDIES
The Yiddish Art Song
performed by Leon Lishner, basso, and Lazar Weiner, piano
(stereophonic record album)
The Holocaust in Historical Perspective
by Yehuda Bauer
Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory
by Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi
Jewish Mysticism and Jewish Ethics
by Joseph Dan
The Invention of Hebrew Prose:
Modern Fiction and the Language of Realism
by Robert Alter
Recent Archaeological Discoveries and Biblical Research
by William G. Dever
Contents
Acknowledgments IX
I. Artifacts, Ecofacts, and Textual Facts:
How Archaeology Today Can Illuminate the World of the Bible I
2. The Israelite Settlement in Canaan:
New Archaeological Models 37
3. Monumental Art and Architecture in Ancient Israel
in the Period of the United Monarchy 85
4. Archaeology Reconstructs
the Lost Background of the Israelite Cult I I9
Conclusion I67
Notes I73
Index I87
Vll

Acknowledgments
I wish to express my deep gratitude to Mr. Samuel N. and Mrs. Althea
Stroum of Seattle, whose generosity made this lectureship possible, and
whose warm hospitality helped to make my visit to the University of
Washington a memorable occasion. I am also indebted to Professor Jere
Bacharach, who first suggested my name to the selection committee, to
Mrs. Dorothy Becker, who handled all the practical arrangements with
admirable efficiency; and to Naomi Pascal and the staff of the University
of Washington Press, who were a delight to work with. The manuscript
for this book was typed by my wife Norma, who accompanied me to Seat
tle in April 1985.
Whatever I may have to offer in these lectures I owe to my two teachers
and mentors, the late professors G. Ernest Wright of Harvard University
and Nelson Glueck of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Re
ligion, whose two archaeological institutes in Jerusalem (Hue-JIR and
ASOR) I later served as director from 1968 to 1975. Much of the first-hand
information on excavations in Israel I owe to my Israeli colleagues, who
have generously made unpublished material available to me. I wish also
to thank several of my doctoral students in archaeology at the University
of Arizona, who made valuable suggestions in seminars where some of
these ideas were first tried out. Finally, I am grateful to my friend and
former colleague in Biblical studies at Arizona, Professor Peter Machinist,
who constantly encourages me to relate archaeology to Biblical studies.
Professor Machinist made many constructive criticisms of this manu
script, but of course he is not to be held accountable for the peculiarities
of my personal views.
I am a Syro-Palestinian archaeologist, but I began, like most of my
generation, as a seminarian and clergyman. Although I retain a keen in
terest in Biblical srudies, I cannot claim to make any original contribution
IX