Report on the first stage of the iron age dating project in Israel : Supporting a low chronology

doi:10.1017/S0033822200041886

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Report on the first stage of the iron age dating project in Israel : Supporting a low chronology

Journal Article•DOI•

Report on the first stage of the iron age dating project in Israel : Supporting a low chronology

Ilan Sharon¹, Ayelet Gilboa², A. J. Timothy Jull, Elisabetta Boaretto³•Institutions (3)

Hebrew University of Jerusalem¹, University of Haifa², Weizmann Institute of Science³

01 Jan 2007-Radiocarbon (University of Arizona)-Vol. 49, Iss: 1, pp 1-46

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a lower chronology of ancient Israel in the 11th-9th centuries BCE, about 75100 yr lower than the conventional one, which bears crucial implications not only for biblical history and historiography but also for cultural processes around the Mediterranean.

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Abstract: The traditional chronology of ancient Israel in the 11th9th centuries BCE was constructed mainly by correlating archaeological phenomena with biblical narratives and with Bible-derived chronology. The chronology of Cyprus and Greece, and hence of points further west, are in turn based on that of the Levant. Thus, a newly proposed chronology, about 75100 yr lower than the conventional one, bears crucial implications not only for biblical history and historiography but also for cultural processes around the Mediterranean. A comprehensive radiocarbon program was initiated to try and resolve this dilemma. It involves several hundreds of measurements from 21 sites in Israel. Creating the extensive databases necessary for the resolution of tight chronological problems typical of historical periods involves issues of quality control, statistical treatment, modeling, and robustness analysis. The results of the first phase of the dating program favor the new, lower chronology.

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Journal Article•DOI•

Dealing with outliers and offsets in radiocarbon dating

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Christopher Bronk Ramsey¹•Institutions (1)

University of Oxford¹

01 Jan 2009-Radiocarbon

TL;DR: The use of a similar approach for other kinds of correlated offset (such as overall measurement bias or regional offsets in the calibration curve) is discussed and the implementation of these methods in OxCal v 4.0 is presented.

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Abstract: The wide availability of precise radiocarbon dates has allowed researchers in a number of disciplines to address chronological questions at a resolution which was not possible 10 or 20 years ago. The use of Bayesian statistics for the analysis of groups of dates is becoming a common way to integrate all of the 14C evidence together. However, the models most often used make a number of assumptions that may not always be appropriate. In particular, there is an assumption that all of the 14C measurements are correct in their context and that the original 14C concentration of the sample is properly represented by the calibration curve. In practice, in any analysis of dates some are usually rejected as obvious outliers. However, there are Bayesian statistical methods which can be used to perform this rejection in a more objective way (Christen 1994b), but these are not often used. This paper discusses the underlying statistics and application of these methods, and extensions of them, as they are implemented in OxCal v 4.1. New methods are presented for the treatment of outliers, where the problems lie principally with the context rather than the 14C measurement. There is also a full treatment of outlier analysis for samples that are all of the same age, which takes account of the uncertainty in the calibration curve. All of these Bayesian approaches can be used either for outlier detection and rejection or in a model averaging approach where dates most likely to be outliers are downweighted. Another important subject is the consistent treatment of correlated uncertainties between a set of measurements and the calibration curve. This has already been discussed by Jones and Nicholls (2001) in the case of marine reservoir offsets. In this paper, the use of a similar approach for other kinds of correlated offset (such as overall measurement bias or regional offsets in the calibration curve) is discussed and the implementation of these methods in OxCal v 4.0 is presented.

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917 citations

Cites methods from "Report on the first stage of the ir..."

...As an example we will take radiocarbon dates from the important context X in Tell Qasile as reported in Boaretto et al. (2005) and Sharon et al. (2007) ....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Radiocarbon dating: revolutions in understanding

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C. Bronk Ramsey¹•Institutions (1)

University of Oxford¹

01 Apr 2008-Archaeometry

TL;DR: Radiocarbon dating has undergone a number of "revolutions" in the past 50 years as mentioned in this paper, and it is necessary to understand the life cycle of radiocarbon, from its production in the upper atmosphere, through its sequestration in reservoirs and samples and its final decay.

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Abstract: Radiocarbon dating has undergone a number of ‘revolutions’ in the past 50 years. This is in part because it is a field in continuous development, but perhaps more because of its profound impact on archaeology and the nature of interdisciplinary research. In order to understand the use of radiocarbon as a dating tool, it is necessary to understand the life cycle of radiocarbon, from its production in the upper atmosphere, through its sequestration in reservoirs and samples and its final decay. Different elements in this life cycle lead to complications, or subtleties that need to be understood if we wish to develop high-resolution chronologies. Most of the changes that have influenced radiocarbon dating are revolutions in understanding of the natural world in disparate academic disciplines. More than ever, it is necessary for users of radiocarbon to understand and engage with the science that underlies the method.

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274 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Primary domestication and early uses of the emblematic olive tree: palaeobotanical, historical and molecular evidence from the Middle East.

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David Kaniewski¹, David Kaniewski², Elise Van Campo¹, Elise Van Campo², Tom Boiy³, Jean-Frédéric Terral⁴, Bouchaib Khadari⁵, Guillaume Besnard¹ - Show less +4 more•Institutions (5)

University of Toulouse¹, Ecolab², Katholieke Universiteit Leuven³, University of Montpellier⁴, Institut national de la recherche agronomique⁵

01 Nov 2012-Biological Reviews

TL;DR: It is argued that advances in radiocarbon chronology, palaeobotany, genetics, and archaeology‐history have profoundly refined the history of olive trees in the Middle East, and the heartland of primary olive domestication must be enlarged to the Levant and not only focus on the Jordan Valley.

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Abstract: Our knowledge of the origins of olive tree domestication in the Middle East and on the processes governing its extension and persistence in different vegetation types from prehistory through antiquity to modern times derives from diverse sources, spanning the biological sciences to the humanities. Nonetheless, it lacks a robust overview that may lead to floating interpretations. This is especially true in the Middle East, considered as the cradle of agriculture, and where the evolutionary history of this emblematic tree is intertwined with that of civilizations. Olive fruit, oil and wood have been, since Prehistoric times, characteristic products of the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. In the domestic economy of these countries, the olive tree gradually became a traditional tree crop since the first oil extraction, through the emergence of regional commerce that accompanied the rise and fall of early Near-Middle Eastern urbanism, until the development of modern trade, with an oil production estimated at circa 3000000 tons per year. The rising importance of the olive tree in human life has turned the tree into an endless source of fascination in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, a symbol and a sacred tree, widely cited in the Bibles, the Koran, and in ancient literature. Here we argue that advances in radiocarbon chronology, palaeobotany, genetics, and archaeology-history have profoundly refined the history of olive trees in the Middle East. This review shows that the heartland of primary olive domestication must be enlarged to the Levant and not only focus on the Jordan Valley. The domestication of the olive tree is a long and ongoing process, linked to the early production of oil and the development of the olive trade. We also suggest that the olive tree became a particular icon, a sacred tree, during the Biblical period in the Levant.

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154 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Radiocarbon dating the Iron Age in the Levant: a Bayesian model for six ceramic phases and six transitions

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Israel Finkelstein¹, Eli Piasetzky¹•Institutions (1)

Tel Aviv University¹

01 Jun 2010-Antiquity

TL;DR: The first attempt to produce a chronological framework for the Iron Age in the Levant, using radiocarbon dating alone, was made by as discussed by the authors, who proposed six ceramic phases and six transitions which cover c. 400 years, between the late twelfth and mid eighth centuries BC.

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Abstract: The Bayesian model presented in this article is the first attempt to produce a chronological framework for the Iron Age in the Levant, using radiocarbon dating alone. The model derives from 339 determinations on 142 samples taken from 38 strata at 18 sites. The framework proposes six ceramic phases and six transitions which cover c. 400 years, between the late twelfth and mid eighth centuries BC. It furnishes us with a new scientific backbone for the history of Iron Age Levant.

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97 citations

Cites background from "Report on the first stage of the ir..."

...…AMS 3944.3-5 2957±31 MG5 T AMS 18163a 2864±40 MG6 T AMS 3945a,aa 2880±30 MG7 T AMS 3946a,aa 2910±25 MG8 R AMS 3796.3-5 Keisan 9a Destruction Seeds 2855±29 K8 Sharon et al. 2007a RW LSC 3777.1 Yokneam XVIIb Destruction Olive pits 2866±25 Y1 Sharon et al. 2007a R AMS 3777.3-5 2866±33 Y2 R LSC 3778.1…...
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...RW GPC 000/1 NZ AMS 4643 R AMS 4417.3-5 Tell Hammah Destruction Seeds 2790±23 HM2 Sharon et al. 2007a R AMS 3805.3-5 Rehov D-3 Olive pits 2800±20 R3a Mazar et al. 2005 Gr AMS A19033 2835±45 R3b Gr GPC N26119 2720±30 R3c Gr AMS A16757 2820±50 R101 R AMS R AMS 3806.3 3806.5 2754±24 R102 Sharon et al.…...
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...Reference R AMS 44993-5 Megiddo K-6 Destruction Olive pits 2894±23 MG2 Sharon et al. 2007a T AMS 4499a,aa 2893±27 MG1 R AMS 4500.3-5 2918±22 MG4 T AMS 4500a,aa 2968±30 MG3 R AMS 5080 2965±30 MG102 Boaretto unpublished 5081 2955±35 MG103 5082 2975±55 MG104 5083 3030±15 0 MG105 5084 2980±60 MG106 Gr N 26118 Rehov D-6 Olive pits 2920±30 R120 Mazar et al. 2005 Gr A 18826 2950±50 R121 Gr A 19034 2935±45 R122 Gr N 26120 2880±30 R123 RW LSC 2912 Lachish VI Destruction Olive pits 2915±25 L104 Carmi & Ussishkin 2004 RW LSC 2755 Olive pits 2955±25 L105 H GPC 1417 Seeds 2810±10 0 L106...
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...Shiloh V Destruction Seeds 2854±25 SH2 Sharon et al. 2007a RW LSC 3492 Charred grain 2868±20 SH1 R AMS 3928.3-5 Raisins 2897±23 SH3 R AMS 3929.3-5 Seeds 2959±28 SH4 R AMS 5078 Megiddo K-5 Olive pits 2885±40 MG101 Boaretto unpublished R AMS 5934.3-5 Beth- shemesh 6 Olive pits 2855±35 BS104 Sharon et…...
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...…AMS 3929.3-5 Seeds 2959±28 SH4 R AMS 5078 Megiddo K-5 Olive pits 2885±40 MG101 Boaretto unpublished R AMS 5934.3-5 Beth- shemesh 6 Olive pits 2855±35 BS104 Sharon et al. 2007a R AMS 3935.3-5 Beth- shemesh 5 2786±33 BS105 R AMS 3936.3-5 2835±32 BS106 R AMS 4283.3-5 Miqne VIB a Olive pits 2918±26…...
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Journal Article•DOI•

Absolute Chronology of Megiddo, Israel, in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages: High-Resolution Radiocarbon Dating

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Michael B. Toffolo, Eran Arie¹, Mario A.S. Martin, Elisabetta Boaretto, Israel Finkelstein - Show less +1 more•Institutions (1)

Israel Museum¹

01 Jan 2014-Radiocarbon

TL;DR: The authors presented a Bayesian chronological model for seven ceramic typology phases and 10 stratigraphic horizons at Megiddo, covering the Late Bronze and much of the Iron Age.

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Abstract: Megiddo (Israel) is a key site for the study of the stratigraphy, chronology, and history of the Bronze and Iron Ages in the Levant. The article presents a Bayesian chronological model for seven ceramic typology phases and 10 stratigraphic horizons at this site, covering the Late Bronze and much of the Iron Age. The model is based on 78 samples, which provided 190 determinations—the most thorough set of radiocarbon determinations known so far in a single site in the Levant. This set of data provides a reliable skeleton for the discussion of cultural processes and historical events in the region and beyond, including the periods of the Egyptian empire in Canaan and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. DOI: 10.2458/56.16899

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84 citations

Cites background or methods from "Report on the first stage of the ir..."

...Rigorous programs of dating the Iron Age phases have been underway in the last decade (e.g. Boaretto et al. 2005; Sharon et al. 2007; Mazar and Bronk Ramsey 2008; Finkelstein and Piasetzky 2010a)....
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...The disputed transition from the late Iron I to the Iron IIA (Sharon et al. 2007; Mazar and Bronk Ramsey 2008; Finkelstein and Piasetzky 2010b) falls in the range 985–935 BCE (Figure 8), meaning that it cannot be decided according to the Megiddo data....
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...The strategy employed in sampling materials for dating follows the guidelines given in recent studies on the absolute chronology of the Iron Age in the eastern Mediterranean and southern Levant (Sharon 2001; Sharon et al. 2007; Boaretto 2009; van der Plicht et al. 2009)....
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...Thus, scholars can now accurately identify five Late Bronze Age horizons (hereafter LB IA, IB, IIA, IIB, and III; e.g. Panitz-Cohen 2006; Mullins 2007; Gadot 2009; Martin 2013; Arie 2013b) and six Iron Age horizons (early and late Iron I, early and late IIA, IIB, and IIC—e.g. Zimhoni 2004; Herzog and Singer-Avitz 2004, 2006; Arie 2006, 2013c) for this timespan, which covers approximately a millennium....
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...…unpublished, new measurements (marked with bold text) were grouped with dates from previous studies (Boaretto et al. 2005; Finkelstein et al. 2006; Sharon et al. 2007; Finkelstein and Piasetzky 2007; Gilboa et al. 2013) in order to cover the whole stratigraphic sequence from the Middle Bronze…...
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Book•

Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences

[...]

Philip R. Bevington, D. Keith Robinson

01 Jun 1969

TL;DR: In this paper, Monte Carlo techniques are used to fit dependent and independent variables least squares fit to a polynomial least-squares fit to an arbitrary function fitting composite peaks direct application of the maximum likelihood.

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Abstract: Uncertainties in measurements probability distributions error analysis estimates of means and errors Monte Carlo techniques dependent and independent variables least-squares fit to a polynomial least-squares fit to an arbitrary function fitting composite peaks direct application of the maximum likelihood. Appendices: numerical methods matrices graphs and tables histograms and graphs computer routines in Pascal.

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12,737 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

IntCal04 terrestrial radiocarbon age calibration, 0-26 cal kyr BP

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Paula J. Reimer¹, Michael Baillie¹, Edouard Bard², Alex Bayliss³, J. Warren Beck⁴, Chanda J H Bertrand⁵, Paul G. Blackwell⁶, Caitlin E. Buck⁶, George S. Burr⁴, K. B. Cutler⁷, Paul E. Damon⁴, R. Lawrence Edwards, Richard G. Fairbanks⁸, Michael Friedrich, Thomas P. Guilderson⁹, Alan G. Hogg¹⁰, Konrad A Hughen⁵, Bernd Kromer, Gerry McCormac¹, Sturt W. Manning¹¹, Christopher Bronk Ramsey¹², Ron W Reimer¹³, Sabine Remmele¹⁰, John Southon⁹, Minze Stuiver¹⁴, Sahra Talamo, Frederick W. Taylor¹⁵, Johannes van der Plicht, Constanze E. Weyhenmeyer¹⁶ - Show less +25 more•Institutions (16)

Queen's University Belfast¹, Aix-Marseille University², Historic England³, University of Arizona⁴, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution⁵, University of Sheffield⁶, University of Minnesota⁷, Columbia University⁸, University of California, Irvine⁹, University of Waikato¹⁰, University of Reading¹¹, University of Oxford¹², University of California, Santa Cruz¹³, University of Washington¹⁴, University of Texas at Austin¹⁵, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory¹⁶

01 Jan 2004-Radiocarbon

TL;DR: In this paper, a new calibration curve for the conversion of radiocarbon ages to calibrated (cal) ages has been constructed and internationally ratified to replace IntCal98, which extended from 0-24 cal kyr BP (Before Present, 0 cal BP = AD 1950).

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Abstract: A new calibration curve for the conversion of radiocarbon ages to calibrated (cal) ages has been constructed and internationally ratified to replace IntCal98, which extended from 0-24 cal kyr BP (Before Present, 0 cal BP = AD 1950). The new calibration data set for terrestrial samples extends from 0-26 cal kyr BP, but with much higher resolution beyond 11.4 cal kyr BP than IntCal98. Dendrochronologically-dated tree-ring samples cover the period from 0-12.4 cal kyr BP. Beyond the end of the tree rings, data from marine records (corals and foraminifera) are converted to the atmospheric equivalent with a site-specific marine reservoir correction to provide terrestrial calibration from 12.4-26.0 cal kyr BP. A substantial enhancement relative to IntCal98 is the introduction of a coherent statistical approach based on a random walk model, which takes into account the uncertainty in both the calendar age and the 14C age to calculate the underlying calibration curve (Buck and Blackwell, this issue). The tree-ring data sets, sources of uncertainty, and regional offsets are discussed here. The marine data sets and calibration curve for marine samples from the surface mixed layer (Marine04) are discussed in brief, but details are presented in Hughen et al. (this issue a). We do not make a recommendation for calibration beyond 26 cal kyr BP at this time; however, potential calibration data sets are compared in another paper (van der Plicht et al., this issue).

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3,737 citations

"Report on the first stage of the ir..." refers methods in this paper

...OxCal v 3.10 (Bronk Ramsey 2005) with atmospheric data from Reimer et al. (2004) provides a heuristic statistic for assessing the quality of the fit of the model, based on the overlap integral between the prior (unconstrained) measurement distribution and the posterior dating distribution (as…...
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Journal Article•DOI•

Development of the radiocarbon calibration program

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Christopher Bronk Ramsey

01 Jan 2001-Radiocarbon

TL;DR: This paper highlights some of the main developments to the radiocarbon calibration program, OxCal, including changes to the sampling algorithms used which improve the convergence of the Bayesian analysis.

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Abstract: This paper highlights some of the main developments to the radiocarbon calibration program, OxCal In addition to many cosmetic changes, the latest version of OxCal uses some different algorithms for the treatment of multiple phases The theoretical framework behind these is discussed and some model calculations demonstrated Significant changes have also been made to the sampling algorithms used which improve the convergence of the Bayesian analysis The convergence itself is also reported in a more comprehensive way so that problems can be traced to specific parts of the model The use of convergence data, and other techniques for testing the implications of particular models, are described

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1,905 citations

"Report on the first stage of the ir..." refers methods in this paper

...Below, this is referred to as “the coarse model.” In OxCal ( Bronk Ramsey 2001 ) notation, this simple model is presented in Figure 3....
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...In OxCal (Bronk Ramsey 2001) notation, this simple model is presented in Figure 3....
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Book•

Archaeology in the Land of the Bible

[...]

Avraham Negev

01 Jan 1977

181 citations

"Report on the first stage of the ir..." refers background in this paper

...…sites with finds relating to the Egyptian 20th Dynasty should be relegated to the end of the Late Bronze Age or to “Iron Age IA” (Ussishkin 1985 vs. Mazar 1990:290), and whether they pre-date or coincide with the first appearance of Philistine wares (the latter possibility, however, is our…...
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...More specifically, the terminus ante quem for the “Iron I” | “Iron II” transition is customarily placed at 980 BCE (e.g. Mazar 1990: chapter 8)....
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Book•

The Bible unearthed : archaeology's new vision of ancient Israel and the origin of its sacred texts

[...]

Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman¹•Institutions (1)

Wilfrid Laurier University¹

01 Jan 2003

TL;DR: In the days of King Josiah, archeology and the Bible as mentioned in this paper, the Bible as history, searching for the Patriarchs, did the Exodus happen? The Conquest of Canaan, who were the Israelites? Memories of a Golden Age?

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Abstract: Contents Prologue: In the Days of King Josiah Introduction: Archaeology and the Bible PART ONE The Bible as History? * Searching for the Patriarchs * Did the Exodus Happen? * The Conquest of Canaan * Who Were the Israelites? * Memories of a Golden Age? PART TWO The Rise and Fall of Ancient Israel * One State, One Nation, One People? (C. 930-720 BCE) * Israel's Forgotten First Kingdom (884-842 BCE) * In the Shadow of Empire (842-720 BCE) PART THREE Judah and the Making of Biblical History * The Transformation of Judah (C. 930-705 BCE) * Between War and Survival (705-639 BCE) * A Great Reformation (639-586 BCE) * Exile and Return (586-C. 440 BCE) Epilogue: The Future of Biblical Israel Appendix A: Theories of the Historicity of the Patriarchal Age Appendix B: Searching for Sinai Appendix C: Alternative Theories of the Israelite Conquest Appendix D: Why the Traditional Archaeology of the Davidic and Solomonic Period Is Wrong Appendix E: Identifying the Era of Manasseh in the Archaeological Record Appendix F: How Vast Was the Kingdom of Josiah? Appendix G: The Boundaries of the Province of Yehud Bibliography Index

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178 citations