The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine

The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine

The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine
By Ariel Lewin
Written in Collaboration with Leah Di Segni
Photographs by Dinu, Sandu, and Radu Mendrea
Translator, Brian D. Phillips
The J. Paul Getty Museum: 2005
ISBN: 0-89236-800-4

Reviewed by Sheldon Ztvordokov - April 21, 2005

In The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine, Ariel Lewin presents a general overview of some of the most prominent archaeology sites found in present day Israel. The text includes two introductory essays that provide general information on Israel's ancient past. These essays are Jewish Origins by William H.C. Propp and Roman Judea and Palestine by Ariel Lewin. The bulk of the text is devoted to a thorough analysis of eighteen ancient cities, including:

Jerusalem
Capernaum
Tiberias
Sepphoris
Hammat Gader
Scythoplolis (Beth Shean)
Samaria-Sebaste (Shomeron)
Neapolis
Jericho
Herodion
Qumran
Masada
Bethlehem
Hebron and Mamre
Caesarea
Ashkelon (Ascalon)
Gaza
Towns of the Negev

This section, The Ancient Cities was written by Lewin in collaboration with Leah Di Segni. The analysis of each of these ancient cities includes information on the city's ancient location, how it was primarily utilized, and an overview of the archaeological remains associated with each city. Throughout, the text is gorgeously illustrated with actual photographs of the various sites, as well as maps and drawings of various building plans. The final section of this book is devoted to a brief overview of the various archaeological remains of synagogues, churches, and monasteries that existed throughout ancient Judea and Palestine. A concise bibliography is also included.

Lewin is a teacher of Roman History at the University of Basilicata in Potenza, Italy and he has studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In writing this book, his focus was on providing general readers with an accessible introduction into the history and archaeology of Judea and Ancient Palestine. He has succeeded admirably. The text is engaging, readable, and does not require any previous knowledge about the region or its history to appreciate the grandeur of this book. The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine serves as an excellent primer on the subject, and the copious photos also makes this an informative coffee-table book.

Related Reviews:

Israel: Past and Present, By D. Bahat.
A guidebook that shows, via the use of overlays, how various ruins throughout Israel looked when they were originally constructed, and how they look today.
Golden Jerusalem, by Menashe Har-El.
A completely updated and revised edition of Har-El's famed book, This is Jerusalem. This book describes the history, geography, and archaeology of Jerusalem from the Canaanite period onward.

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