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

156 lJE'IWEENTEXTANDAlflll'ACr

a newavenueofentryfora teacherwhohashaddirficulrymakingIhis

imponantperiodcomealive.Toillustratethevarietyofmaterialculturein

Persian-periodPalestineOudahandSamari:Jstillremainingundertheinflu-

enceofEgyptandMesopotamia,thecoastalplainandGalileereflectingthe

ongoinginfluenceofGreekandPhoenicianculture),20Iwouldrecommend

turningtoStern'sdefinitivenewstudyalreadymentioned.^21

TIlEHEI.LENISTICPEl1l0D<332--63H,C.E.)

Wehavealreadyindicatedthatitwouldbeincorrecttoconcludethat

thePersianperiodmaybecharacterizedonlyby"Persian"materialculture.

If anything,especiallyonthecoast,Palestinewasbeginningtoreflectthe

growingcullumlinfluenceofHellenisticcultureandcivilization,whichwas

edgingitswayclosertoNearEasternlands.TheappearanceofthePhilis{Q-

ArabianAttic-typecoin,withitsAtticstandard,inthePersianperiodinGaza

andinlandatsitesinYehudandelsewhere,alongwithblackAtticsherds,

proclaimedthecomingofHellenismlongbeforeAlexanderledhisarmies

southfromCiliciatowardEgypt.ThoughhehadhiseyesonPersepolis,

capitalofthePersianEmpire,Alexanderwaswisetosoftenuphissouth-

wcsternflankbyheadingdownthePhoeniciancoastandthecoastalplain

inPalestinetowardthestrongestofthesatrapies,Egypt.Sincemostbooks

andessayson thiseraspeakof"AlexandertheGreat'sconquestofthe

ancientNearEast,"itshouldbenotedrightaW;:IYthathiscoming{QPales-

tinewaslargelypeaceful.TheearlierAssyrianandBabylonianwars(eighth

andsixthcenturies)hadleftlargeswathsofPalestinianterritoryreducedin

population Oudea, Samaria, and Galilec), with the jurisdiction of the

PhoeniciancityofTyreextendingdown 10 Akkoanditsadjoininglands,

thePhoeniciancityofSidonextendingil'iadministrativecontroltotheplain

betweenDorandJoppa,andAshkelonremainingunderTyrianauthority.22

Theseareaswerethefirsttorecoverfromtheearlierwarsandtoberepop-

ulatedinthecourseofthePersianperiod.Itshouldbestressedthatsinceso

muchofbiblicalliteraryhistoryisassignedtoeitherthePersianorHellenis-

ticperioditisespeciallyimportantforteacherstobemindfulofthelarger

demographicpictureofPalestinethaicanonlybeinferredfromarchaeo-

logicaldata. l1ythetimeEzrahadreestablishedtheTorahinIsrdel,inthe

secondhalfofthefifthcentury,thereweretwentytothirtythousandJews

inallYehud-thevastmajorityofJewswerelivingintheDiaspora.23

20 Gr"f.·Palestine,"4:224
21 Stern.Archaeologyoj[heI.£/Ildf?ftheBihle.
n Ikrlin."Arch:leologkalSourcesforlheIIbloryofPHlestinc," 3
23 Ul1fonun:ucly,thereisnosingll:worklhaldealswilhlhe"early·JewishDiaspora.
Jud).(ingfmmC:tncr'slowpopulatione.stimatesforI',llcslinc:IndcombininglhepopUl,llions