Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

130 Bl::,WEENTEXTANI)ARllFACf

systems(gatesandwalls),remainsofbuildingsidentified aspalaces,and

hand-burnishedceramicformsfoundin destnlcliondebrisdated(0the

limeofShishak(Sheshonq).3^5 Ifweexlendthetimemngetoafewcen-

turiesbeforethetenthcenturyanclclowntothemid-eighthcemuryB.C.E.,

wecanaddtheimpressiveremainsoftripartitetemples,especiallytheone

nowknownfrom'AinDaI':'1.Alloftllcsed,Ha,plusothers,wouldseemto

pain!tosometypeofcentralizedorganizationduringthisperiod.What this

meansfortheexegesisofbiblicaltextsremainsforthereadertosay.

IRONAGEliB,C(LATETENlll-$IXllICENTURIESB.C.E.)

Ifthere is anarchaeological timeperiod towhich theexpression
"biblicalarchaeology"maybeanappropriaterubric,itisIronAgeliB,C.
Ifthereisanyhistoryatall inthebiblicalaccountsofthekingsofIsrael
andJudah,theclassicalprophets,thepriesthood,thepoliticaldisastersof
722 and587/586B.C.E.,andthefullydevelopedIsraelitecult,it isduring
thisarchaeologicaltlmeperiod.ItshouldcomeasnosurprisethatIronII
B, C hasbeen intensively studiedand that theamount ofsecondary
scholarlypublicationsonthisperiodareimmense.Asmoreandmorerel-
evantdiscoveriesfromthisperiodaremade,thisliteraturecanonlybe
expectedtoincrease.
Theamountandkindsofarchaeologicalrealiaavailableforstudyare
variedand plentiful.Theyincludeeverythingfrom massivearchitecrural
remains(e.g.,walls,defensivetowers,gates,palaces,domesticbUildings,
"s[Qrerooms~), ingenious water systems (e.g., at Jerusalem, Megiddo,
Hazer,Gibeon),tombs(frommanysites),ceramics,jewelry,cuIticremains
(e.g.,TelArad,Tel Dan),andinnumerablesmallfinds. Inaddition,there
arenowhundredsif notthousandsofinscriptionsknownfromthisperiod.
They include inscribed potsherds(ostraca) from suchplaces asArad,
Samaria,andLachish,jarswithinscriptions(e.g., Kuntiltet<Ajrud),seals,
scarabs,andbullae.Somehaveparticularhistoricalsignificance,suchas
theSiloamTunnelinscriptioninJerusalem,theTelDanStela,andtheso-
called"MoabiteStone.~Thusthepossibilitiesforintegratingarchaeological
datafromtheseperiodsintoHebrewBiblestudiesarerichindeed.
However,thisdoesnotmeanthaItherelevantbiblicaltextsfromtheDH
cannowbetakenat facevalue.Thetemptationto"illustrate"thisperiod
witharchaeologicalmaterialwhilegivinga "historicalparaphrase~ofthebib-
licalmaterialisprobablynotthebestway[0proceed.Nevellheless,despite

35 Suggestedreadingsaboutthellfchaeologyofthisperiodinclude, Dever,Recent
ArchaeologicalDiscoveries,124-57;Holladay,"Kingdon'll;ofIsr,lc1andJudah,·368-98;and
Herr,"[ronIIPeriod."