Books by Margreet L . Steiner
BAR International Series 3193. Oxford: BAR Publishing, 2024
BAR Publishing, 2024
From 2012 to 2015, a team of scholars under the auspices of Groningen University excavated at Tel... more From 2012 to 2015, a team of scholars under the auspices of Groningen University excavated at Tell Abu Sarbut in the Eastern Jordan Valley. They uncovered Early Roman, Early Islamic and Middle Islamic remains. The Early Roman occupation was unexpected, as this period had not been documented in regional surveys or when the site was last excavated in 1988–1992. Evidence suggests the inhabitants of the estate or village had strong ties with Jewish communities west of the River Jordan. The three-meter-thick deposit of Early Islamic occupation showed the region’s interaction with the wider Islamic world. Middle Islamic remains had been extensively excavated in the earlier excavation as well. The publication includes studies on architecture, pottery and other finds, as well as the occupational history of the site.
Digging up the Bible? The Excavations at Tell Deir Alla (1960-1967).
Sidestone Press, 2019
This is the account of a remarkable excavation. It started with a modest dig on an unremarkable t... more This is the account of a remarkable excavation. It started with a modest dig on an unremarkable tell in Jordan. The name of the tell does not occur in the Bible, and no ancient town of any importance was to be expected under the rubble. The excavator Henk Franken hadn’t yet made a name for himself within the archaeological community.
And yet, from 1960 onwards history was being (re)written at Tell Deir Alla. To discover the secrets of the tell, the digging team defied cold, rain and stormy winds for months on end, sleeping in rattling tents and working long days on the tell and in the camp. And with success! An meticulous yet efficient excavation method was introduced, the already tenuous relationship between Bible and archaeology was further exacerbated, and the study of excavated pottery was given a scientific basis. The name Deir Alla became an international benchmark for modern scientific research, for prompt publication of the remarkable finds and for independent interpretation of the excavation results.
The story of the excavations at Tell Deir Alla in the 1960s have never been told in any detail, and the excavation results have mostly been published in scholarly books and journals which are difficult to access. This book hopes to remedy that. It recounts the story of the first ten years of the project, from 1959 when funding for the project was sought, until 1969 when the first report was published. The first section describes the organization of the project before the expeditions went out into the field. The second part takes the reader to the actual field work and describes the occupation history of the tell. The story is illustrated by numerous photographs and plans, many of which are being published for the first time.
Inhabiting the Promised Land; Exploring the Complex Relationship between Archaeology and Ancient Israel as Depicted in the Bible. Oxbow, Oxford.
Oxbow Books,Oxford, 2019
Almost weekly, headlines shout out new finding that supposedly confirm the stories told in the Bi... more Almost weekly, headlines shout out new finding that supposedly confirm the stories told in the Bible. The palace of king Davis has been found, an inscription mentioning the giant Goliath, a seal that once belonged to queen Jezebel, a text in which the prophet Balaam cautions and curses. But how reliable are these accounts? Is it even possible to connect archaeological finds and biblical texts that unambiguous? The exultant stories reach the internet and the newspapers; the critical comments forwarded by others get much less attention.
This book is written to fill in this lacuna. It explores how the biblical texts depict the people inhabiting the Promised Land and the towns and temples they built. It also shows what archaeological research reveals of the land, its people and the ways they lived their lives. In an accessible way the book takes the reader to where archaeology and biblical texts meet and explains how to interpret the correspondences and differences.
This book does not set out to confirm the Bible, nor the opposite. It aims at exploring ancient texts as well as the results of dozens of years of archaeological research. Information is gleaned from royal inscriptions and mundane cooking pots, from heroic biblical stories and excavated shrines, from names mentioned in texts and pig bones in the ground. Together these sources allow us a deeper understanding of the people inhabiting the ancient land.
The book offers an exciting journey into modern archaeological and biblical research and sheds new light on the history of Ancient Israel and its neighbours.
We graven hier niet de bijbel op! De Nederlandse opgraving op Tell Deir Alla (1960-1967)
This book describes the first five seasons of excavations (1960 -1967) at Tell Deir Alla in the e... more This book describes the first five seasons of excavations (1960 -1967) at Tell Deir Alla in the eastern Jordan Valley. The first part – Preparations – shows the ins and outs of organizing an expedition. It illustrates the regional contexts, shows the transformation of Henk Franken from biblical scholar to archaeologist, analyses the objectives of the expedition and describes the many parties involved, both at home and abroad. The second part – On the tell – takes the reader to the actual field work, with all its ups and downs. Finally it tells the history of the inhabitants of Deir Alla throughout the ages. Numerous photographs and plans, many of which have never been published before, illustrate the book.
Op zoek naar … De gecompliceerde relatie tussen archeologie en de Bijbel.
This book (in Dutch) surveys the complicated relationship between archaeology and the Bible by an... more This book (in Dutch) surveys the complicated relationship between archaeology and the Bible by analysing archaeological finds in their relationship with biblical stories. It is, however, not a book on biblical archaeology! It does not use archaeology to illustrate the Bible, let alone to prove that the Bible is `right'. It is written for the general public.
With Ann E. Killebrew (eds): The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant (c.8000–332 BCE).
With Eveline J. van der Steen (eds): Sacred and Sweet; Studies on the Material Culture of Tell Deir `Alla and Tell Abu Sarbut.
Excavations (by Kathleen M. Kenyon) in Jerusalem 1961-1967, Vol. III. The Settlement in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Copenhagen International Seminar Series.
With G.A. Auld: Jerusalem I, from the Bronze Age to the Maccabees. Series: Cities of the Biblical World.
With H. Blok: De Onderste Steen Boven; opgravingen in Jeruzalem. (Excavations in Jerusalem). Also translated into German.
With H.J.Franken: Excavations in Jerusalem 1961-1967, Vol.II.: The Iron Age Extramural Quarter on the South-east Hil
Iron II by Margreet L . Steiner
I. de Hulster and E. Darby (eds), Iron Age Terracotta Figurines in the Southern Levant. Leiden: Brill, 285-91., 2021
Religions , 2019
In the area east of the river Jordan, eight Iron Age structures identified as cultic have been ex... more In the area east of the river Jordan, eight Iron Age structures identified as cultic have been excavated. This paper presents the evidence as published and discusses the relevance of the cultic identification of the structures.
Chapter 44 of Steiner, Margreet L. and Ann E. Killebrew, The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant, c.8000 - 332 BCE. Oxford University Press, Oxford., 2014
The Iron II period may easily be the most extensively excavated and intensively researched era of... more The Iron II period may easily be the most extensively excavated and intensively researched era of the Levant, especially in the southern part of the region, but it is not the best understood period under investigation. Compared to the Late Bronze Age, we know precious little about the path to statehood that the various regions travelled, or about their economy or history. Both the beginning and the end of the Iron II period are disputed, and there is constant discussion over the dating of the excavated pottery and thus of the strata in which this
pottery was found. I will not try to discuss or summarize the enormous amount of information provided in the following chapters. What I want to do here is focus on some aspects that have not received much attention in the literature. These concern first the impact of the Assyrians (and later the Babylonians and Persians) on the material culture of the regions they dominated, and secondly the organization of the economy of the various states in the Levant.
Jerusalem by Margreet L . Steiner
BiOR BLXXIX N° 5-6, september-december 2022 , 618-20, 2022
“No Place Like Home: Ancient Near Eastern Houses and Households. Edited by Laura Battini, Aaron Brody, Sharon R. Steadman, Archaeopress, p. 181-194., 2022
Since the 1990ies household archaeology has become an integral part of archaeological research in... more Since the 1990ies household archaeology has become an integral part of archaeological research in the Levant. For the Iron II period in Ancient Israel most research has been directed to the smaller provincial towns such as Tell en-Nasbeh, Tell Halif and Beer Sheba.
Surprisingly, the city of Jerusalem has not yet been touched although at least seventeen Iron II house complexes with some fifty rooms have been uncovered on the south-eastern hill by Kenyon and Shiloh, most of which have been published. Jerusalem’s evidence shows that there is a difference between the houses in the small towns and the capital. Many dwellings seem to have functioned not only as living quarters but as workshops or shops as well. And unlike the house configuration in the smaller towns where complexes of several houses joined walls and courtyards, the Jerusalem houses stand alone, with streets between them. This may be caused the steep slope on which these houses were built, or it may indicate a different function of the buildings and/or a different composition of the households inhabiting the houses.
This contribution will address some of the questions that investigating the houses and household of Iron Age Jerusalem involve.
The walls that Nehemiah built: the Town of Jerusalem in the Persian period
Website Bible and Interpretation, 2021
The biblical books Nehemiah 2 and 3 relay the story of Nehemiah’s trip around the destroyed town ... more The biblical books Nehemiah 2 and 3 relay the story of Nehemiah’s trip around the destroyed town of Jerusalem and of the rebuilding of its fortifications. Despite the detailed description of walls and gates, scholars debate the actual size of the settlement in Persian times and even question whether the walls were really reconstructed. This paper investigates the facts `on the ground’. Was any town wall of the Persian period ever excavated? How large was Nehemiah’s Jerusalem and how did it function within the Persian empire? Was it a walled town with a central temple, the seat of the governor, a center of administration, religion and economy? Or was it a small undefended settlement in which only the local temple had any significance? Spoiler alert: there are as many opinions as there are scholars, and the archaeological evidence is meager.
Biblical Narratives, Archaeology and Historicity: Essays In Honour of Thomas L. Thompson. Edited by Łukasz Niesiołowski-Spanò and Emanuel Pfoh. T&t Clark, London, pp. 3-10., 2019
"Palimpsest is change. The present overwrites the past, scraping away history to prepare its own ... more "Palimpsest is change. The present overwrites the past, scraping away history to prepare its own blank slate. New is layered over old in the name of progress or expediency, covering, yet coloured by what went before in ways that are anticipated, unacknowledged, and often unseen."
Susan Floyd Barnett
History, Archaeology and The Bible Forty Years After “Historicity”. Changing Perspectives 6, edited by Ingrid Hjelm and Thomas L. Thompson, Routledge, pp. 71-84, 2016
About 150 years ago, the first scientific excavation in Jerusalem took place, when in 1863 L.-F. ... more About 150 years ago, the first scientific excavation in Jerusalem took place, when in 1863 L.-F. C. de Saulcy cleared the so-called Tomb of the Kings on behalf of the Louvre museum.
The long history of archaeological excavations in the city is not only closely related to and entangled with contemporary religious, social and political circumstances, but also offers tantalizing glimpses of the direction the discipline is taking.
At the moment a return to nineteenthcentury colonialist perspectives can be perceived. `Digging with bible and spade’ seems to have made a glorious comeback, and lip service is paid to the problematic nature of interweaving written texts and archaeological evidence. These are general trends in the archaeology of the Southern Levant, especially in regard to the Iron Age, although some counterbalance is offered here and
there.
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Books by Margreet L . Steiner
And yet, from 1960 onwards history was being (re)written at Tell Deir Alla. To discover the secrets of the tell, the digging team defied cold, rain and stormy winds for months on end, sleeping in rattling tents and working long days on the tell and in the camp. And with success! An meticulous yet efficient excavation method was introduced, the already tenuous relationship between Bible and archaeology was further exacerbated, and the study of excavated pottery was given a scientific basis. The name Deir Alla became an international benchmark for modern scientific research, for prompt publication of the remarkable finds and for independent interpretation of the excavation results.
The story of the excavations at Tell Deir Alla in the 1960s have never been told in any detail, and the excavation results have mostly been published in scholarly books and journals which are difficult to access. This book hopes to remedy that. It recounts the story of the first ten years of the project, from 1959 when funding for the project was sought, until 1969 when the first report was published. The first section describes the organization of the project before the expeditions went out into the field. The second part takes the reader to the actual field work and describes the occupation history of the tell. The story is illustrated by numerous photographs and plans, many of which are being published for the first time.
This book is written to fill in this lacuna. It explores how the biblical texts depict the people inhabiting the Promised Land and the towns and temples they built. It also shows what archaeological research reveals of the land, its people and the ways they lived their lives. In an accessible way the book takes the reader to where archaeology and biblical texts meet and explains how to interpret the correspondences and differences.
This book does not set out to confirm the Bible, nor the opposite. It aims at exploring ancient texts as well as the results of dozens of years of archaeological research. Information is gleaned from royal inscriptions and mundane cooking pots, from heroic biblical stories and excavated shrines, from names mentioned in texts and pig bones in the ground. Together these sources allow us a deeper understanding of the people inhabiting the ancient land.
The book offers an exciting journey into modern archaeological and biblical research and sheds new light on the history of Ancient Israel and its neighbours.
Iron II by Margreet L . Steiner
pottery was found. I will not try to discuss or summarize the enormous amount of information provided in the following chapters. What I want to do here is focus on some aspects that have not received much attention in the literature. These concern first the impact of the Assyrians (and later the Babylonians and Persians) on the material culture of the regions they dominated, and secondly the organization of the economy of the various states in the Levant.
Jerusalem by Margreet L . Steiner
Surprisingly, the city of Jerusalem has not yet been touched although at least seventeen Iron II house complexes with some fifty rooms have been uncovered on the south-eastern hill by Kenyon and Shiloh, most of which have been published. Jerusalem’s evidence shows that there is a difference between the houses in the small towns and the capital. Many dwellings seem to have functioned not only as living quarters but as workshops or shops as well. And unlike the house configuration in the smaller towns where complexes of several houses joined walls and courtyards, the Jerusalem houses stand alone, with streets between them. This may be caused the steep slope on which these houses were built, or it may indicate a different function of the buildings and/or a different composition of the households inhabiting the houses.
This contribution will address some of the questions that investigating the houses and household of Iron Age Jerusalem involve.
Susan Floyd Barnett
The long history of archaeological excavations in the city is not only closely related to and entangled with contemporary religious, social and political circumstances, but also offers tantalizing glimpses of the direction the discipline is taking.
At the moment a return to nineteenthcentury colonialist perspectives can be perceived. `Digging with bible and spade’ seems to have made a glorious comeback, and lip service is paid to the problematic nature of interweaving written texts and archaeological evidence. These are general trends in the archaeology of the Southern Levant, especially in regard to the Iron Age, although some counterbalance is offered here and
there.