P. R. S. Moorey

These lectures investigate the numerous miniature baked clay images from Canaan, Israel and Judah (c. 1600-600 BC). They constitute vital evidence for the imagery and domestic rituals of ordinary people, but significantly are not explicitly mentioned in the Old Testament. These terracottas are treated as a distinctive phenomenon with roots deep in prehistory. Attention is focused on whether or not the female representations are worshippers of unknown deities or images of known goddesses, particularly in Early Israelite religion.

This historical survey of the relationship between archaeology and biblical studies in the archaeological excavations in Palestine at Tell el-Hesi from 1840 to 1990 concentrates on the work of major excavators and scholars. It is a panoramic overview of the methods and theories that served to illuminate the archaeology of the Holy Land, beginning with and introductory chapter that covers the early pioneering years before the work of Pitt Rivers and Petrie.

A full account of the early history of the Holy Land and adjacent.

This is the first systematic attempt to survey in detail the archaeological evidence for the crafts and craftsmanship of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians in ancient Mesopotamia (c. 8000-300 BC). P.R.S. Moorey reviews briefly the textual evidence, and goes on to examine in detail a wide range of crafts and materials: stones, both common and ornamental, animal products, ceramics, glazed materials and glass, metals, and building materials. With a comprehensive bibliography, this generously illustrated volume will be a key work of reference for archaeologists and those interested in the early history of crafts and technology, as well as for specialists in the ancient Near East.