This volume aims to be an up-to-date summary of the archaeology of the Land of the Bible, from late Prehistory until Alexander's conquest. It will cover periods of immense importance in the development of human culture in general, and of the cultures and peoples in the ancient Near East in general. As this the region in which many of the foundational cultures of the Old World developed (or interacted with), it is a region of crucial importance for understanding the development of human history, culture and socio-economic patterns. In addition, as it is a region in which major parts of the biblical narrative is set, the study of the archaeology of this region is crucial for understanding the geographic, historical and cultural background of the peoples and cultures reflected in the biblical texts. Due to the deep interest that the Bible generates, particularly in Judeo-Christian cultures, the archaeology of this region is of much interest, to scholars and lay people.

The period which I wish to cover, from the Neolithic period to the Hellenistic period, reflects major cultural phases in the development of human culture in this region. This includes: the appearance of the first villages and agriculture; the beginning of social and economic hierarchy; early urbanism and political complexity; the rise of the Canaanite culture; major phases of technological development; the transformation between the Bronze and Iron Age and the appearance of new identity groups and peoples (including the Israelites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Arameans and others); the development of regional territorial kingdoms during the Iron Age; and their subsequently being swallowed by the Mesopotamian empires (Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian). From a point of view of historical periods, this overlaps major periods of early Egyptian and Mesopotamian history, and periods depicted in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and early Greek historiography.

That said, most of the available summaries of the archaeology of the region are outdated (both in the finds and the topics and approaches discussed), and are often involved in ideologically related issues (e.g. proving/disproving the Bible). Some of the updated summaries don't cover the entire span periods proposed in this volume, or are non-standardized or lacking in even coverage of the relevant periods.

In addition to this, the available summaries, do not stress the major recent changes that have occurred in the archaeology of the region. Not only recent finds, but radically different analyses and theoretical perspectives, which question and challenge basic aspects of previous scholarship. For example, long accepted connections between the archaeological remains and supposed identity groups (e.g. Canaanites, Israelites, and Philistines) are being reassessed in contemporary scholarship which is now reflected in the available summaries, and scientific analyses which have opened up whole new perspectives on the past.

Thus, the main objective of this volume is to provide an accessible (that is, not too long and jargon-laden), and up-to-date summary of the archaeology of the region, taking into account recent finds and up-to-date analytic methods, recent interpretative approaches and debates, and using a less naïve interface between the archaeological remains and the textual sources (biblical and others), so as to provide an introductory text book for students, scholars, and the interested lay public. The volume will showcase how archaeology of the region has moved from a parochial, ideologically motivated endeavor (Biblical Archaeology in the negative sense; often conducted by theologians), into a modern, scientific and critical enquiry of the past. At the same time, it will cater to students, scholars and the lay public interested in the archaeological background of biblical history, the ancient near east and ancient cultures in general.

Autorentext
Aren Maeir , Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.