I wanted this book to help research info from the time of the prophet Hosea and it has proven to be as useful as I'd hoped. The maps & charts gave clarity to time and place, and the book has answered in a short time, some questions as to why the Bible lists only one Israeli king during Hosea's lifetime.

I'd like more info on the daily, mundane life of ordinary people back then, but Ancient Israel has given me the big picture with plenty of flavor of the times.

There are two broad audiences for histories of the Old Testament period in Israel: those who want to know the archaeology and those who want to know the history as it is depicted in the Bible. Now, there are a wide range of books for those audiences. Some take a delight in debunking the Bible, while others are respectful of it while presenting honest archaeology, while others ignore archaeology (or make very selective use of it) and discuss only what is in the Bible. This book is in the middle category. The editor and the various authors clearly do not regard the history of Israel as presented in the Bible as authoritative or terribly accurate. They do not go out of their way to attack the Bible, but use it as a only a small part of a larger scientific framework of examining Israel's history.

As a believer in the Bible, I would like to reassure those who still would like to know what archaeology has to say, that they can read this book and not lose their faith. Not because the book doesn't challenge some of the beliefs readers of the Bible might have, but because faith and science measure and discuss different things. In my view, knowing what honest examination of history tells us can enrich what we know from the Bible. We also don't need to worry about what God has told his prophets because of what someone without faith has thought up. We can consider and examine everything without having to set our faith aside. Ignoring history out of fear is, I believe, more damaging and a poor witness of our faith.

This book covers the period from the time of Abraham through the destruction of the second temple by the Romans. The period from the Greeks through the Romans is not covered in the King James Bible, so for those unfamiliar with the gap of several centuries from Malachi to the opening of the New Testament, this book is particularly helpful.

You will find this book to be readable, balanced, thoughtful, and informative. There are many useful pictures, diagrams, maps, and footnotes. I found the discussion the range of thought about historical events and how some theories were developed and why discovery favors some approaches over others to be fascinating. I am glad that I have this on my library shelf.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

This is not easy reading for the non-scholar. However, I submit that most "mind candy" books or worse, TV shows/movies, are long on style and short on substance. That accusation cannot be leveled against this book.

This book was recommended to me after I had cracked open Pandora's Box with The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts and found myself very disillusioned and antagonistic towards my believing family members and friends.

I hardly noticed the difference in literary styles moving from one chapter to the next. The treatment of the subject is very even-handed and seems to be ideal for both interested believers and highly critical skeptics.

As an example from Chapter 2, the authors readily concede that there is an absolute dearth of archaeological evidence that supports an Israeli exodus from slavery in Egypt, and yet some such event must have happened because of the existence of the Pentateuch. At first this struck me as fanciful logic aimed at pacifying believers. Yet the argument that no people would invent a foundational story based on indentured servitude without some grounding in history is persuasive (if not conclusive).

You will certainly be much better informed than your fellow attendees (and perhaps even the clergy) at your next religious service.

If you are looking for a history of ancient Israel. This is probably as good as you can get.

If you are looking for a history of ancient Israel. This is probably as good as you can get.

I found this book to be fantastic prerequisite reading on Jewish history from Biblical to Rabbinic times. It provides the reader with a working background knowledge of a daunting timespan; even skimming it provides enough information for a satisfactory jumping-off point of Jewish scholarship. It reads like a textbook, though, so beware: this is not exactly pleasure reading.

This fact filled book is tough going. By telling the development of thought and how many theories were cast aside by subsequent research and writing, it makes me feel buffeted by waves, then thrown on the shore, out of breath. Just tell the best story you can, as clearly as you can, please. Sure, some parenthetical or footnote references to say that for a while "such and such" was thought, OK. But maintain the thread. Perhaps an editor doesn't have that latitude when dealing with a collection of world class scholarly authors.

Further, the book is printed in gray type so reading it is concurrently mind strain AND eye strain.

I'm sure in the hands of a good teacher, with discussion and re-reading, this book can be effective. My teacher says we can read it before or after the class discussion. I will need to read it before AND after.

But perhaps I'm spoiled. I just finished Richard Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible" - an engrossing, absorbing story that carries you along. It is a wonderful "read" - at the other end of the spectrum from Shanks.

EOM

Having gathered works by renown scholars of the history and anthropology of Israel, Hershel Shanks created a masterpiece in Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple. The book itself is easily accessible to one who is unlearned in the history of Ancient Israel (as am I). It also is useful in an undergraduate college classroom setting - As it was used in a Biblical Archaeology class at my school. The only negative feedback I have on this book is that, by its very nature, it is far to concentrated with facts. At times, you may feel very overwhelmed with the information presented. However, if you familiarize yourself with the general history of Israel by quickly reading through the book and then following that reading up with a more indepth reading, this book may serve you well. However, trying to remember all of the dates, names, and rulers at once is overwhelming. I recommend this to anyone who is even slightly interested in learning thoroughly about Ancient Israel and has little background in history during this period of time.

Having gathered works by renown scholars of the history and anthropology of Israel, Hershel Shanks created a masterpiece in Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple. The book itself is easily accessible to one who is unlearned in the history of Ancient Israel (as am I). It also is useful in an undergraduate college classroom setting - As it was used in a Biblical Archaeology class at my school. The only negative feedback I have on this book is that, by its very nature, it is far to concentrated with facts. At times, you may feel very overwhelmed with the information presented. However, if you familiarize yourself with the general history of Israel by quickly reading through the book and then following that reading up with a more indepth reading, this book may serve you well. However, trying to remember all of the dates, names, and rulers at once is overwhelming. I recommend this to anyone who is even slightly interested in learning thoroughly about Ancient Israel and has little background in history during this period of time.

This book is so apt to question the historicity of the Bible, it finds itself refuting orthodox history, because of its inherent bias. 'We can't be certain David and Solomon exist at all, can we?' I hope you detect my cynicism. It might as well deny Israel's existence prior to 200 B.C. Israel after all didn't appear to around Jesus' time, right?

A collection of eight essays by recognized scholars in the field, this book provides an overview and interpretation of relevant archaeological work for the non-technical reader. Its popular style makes it well suited for undergraduate classes as well as lay readers unfamiliar with the history of Israel.

All of the essays have been revised for this second edition, and most have been significantly expanded. Much has changed since the first edition appeared in 1988, and the revised edition reflects those changes well.

The archaeological data and literary evidence available for some periods of Israel's history is far more abundant and diverse than for others. The essays reflect this variation in the available data, and the authors do a competent job of stating the evidence upon which their claims are based.

A collection of eight essays by recognized scholars in the field, this book provides an overview and interpretation of relevant archaeological work for the non-technical reader. Its popular style makes it well suited for undergraduate classes as well as lay readers unfamiliar with the history of Israel.

All of the essays have been revised for this second edition, and most have been significantly expanded. Much has changed since the first edition appeared in 1988, and the revised edition reflects those changes well.

The archaeological data and literary evidence available for some periods of Israel's history is far more abundant and diverse than for others. The essays reflect this variation in the available data, and the authors do a competent job of stating the evidence upon which their claims are based.