The archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine : an archaeological and historical guide

The regions that compose the current state of Israel and the emerging state of Palestine have yielded a wealth of fascinating archaeological evidence, from the Dead Sea Scrolls found in a cave in 1947 by a Bedouin searching for a lost sheep, to the remains of Roman camps and King Herod's luxurious palaces at the besieged city of Masada. The authors begin with introductions to the complicated and turbulent history of the region in which a series of invaders, including Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, and Macedonians conquered and ruled over its people. The long reign of the Romans in the area is given particular attention-a reign that produced the infamous client rulers Herod the Great and Pontius Pilate, as well as two Jewish revolts against their Roman overlords, both of which met with brutal suppression. Lewin also analyzes eighteen ancient city-sites, including the familiar, such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and the less well-known, such as Herodion, with its extravagant palace-fortress, and Scythopolis, with its Roman temples and baths. This book provides an enlightening overview of a region that continues to capture the attention of the world. The regions comprising the current state of Israel and the emerging state of Palestine have yielded a wealth of fascinating archaeological evidence, from the Dead Sea Scrolls found in a cave in 1947 by a Bedouin searching for a lost sheep, to the remains of Roman camps and King Herod's luxurious palaces at the besieged city of Masada.The authors begin with introductions to the complicated and turbulent history of the region, in which a series of invaders, including Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, and Macedonians, conquered and ruled over its people. The long reign of the Romans in the area is given particular attention, a reign that produced the infamous client rulers Herod and Pontius Pilate, as well as two Jewish revolts against their Roman overlords, both of which met with brutual suppression.Lewin and Di Segni analyze eighteen ancient city sites, including the familiar, such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and the less well known, such as Herodion, with its extravagant palace-fortress, and Scythopolis, with its Roman temples and baths. This book provides an enlightening overview of a region that continues to capture the attention of the world. "Lewin and Di Segni analyze eighteen ancient city sites, including the familiar, such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and the less well known, such as Herodion, with its extravagant palace-fortress, and Scythopolis, with its Roman temples and baths. This book provides an enlightening overview of a region that continues to capture the attention of the world."--Jacket Jerusalem Capernaum Tiberias Sepphoris Hammat Gader Scythopolis (Beth Shean) Samaria-Sebaste (Shomeron) Neapolis Jericho Herodion Qumran Masada Bethlehem Hebron and Mamre Caesarea Ashkelon (Ascalon) Gaza Towns of the Negev Synagogues, churches, and monasteries Map of the sites.