Finkelstein, Israel 1949–

PERSONAL:

Born March 29, 1949, in Tel Aviv, Israel; son of Zvi and Miriam Finkelstein; married Joëlle Cohen (an archaeologist and consultant), April 5, 1990; children: Adar, Sarai. Ethnicity: "Jewish, Israeli." Education: Tel Aviv University, B.A., 1974, M.A., 1978, Ph.D., 1983. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Travel.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel; fax: 972-3-640-7237. Agent—Carol Mann Agency, 55 5th Ave., New York, NY 10003. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel, began as assistant professor, became associate professor, 1976-90; Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, professor of archaeology, 1990—, director, Institute of Archaeology, 1996-2003, holder of Jacob M. Alkow Chair in the Archaeology of Israel in the Bronze and Iron Ages, 2002—. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, fellow at Institute for Advanced Studies, 1983-84; University of Chicago, associate professor, 1986-87; visiting professor at Harvard University, 1992-93, and Sorbonne, University of Paris, 1998-99. Archaeology Council of Israel, member; conducted extensive archaeological surveys and excavations throughout Israel, beginning 1971; director of excavations at Bene-Beraq, 1977, (with others) Tel Ira, 1979-80, Shiloh, 1981-84, Kh. ed-Dawwara, 1985-86, Dhahr Mirzbaneh, 1987, Megiddo, 1992—, and Atar Haroa in the Negev Highlands, 2006. Member of the editorial board, Tel Aviv, 1990—. Military service: Israel Defense Forces, 1967-70; became sergeant.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Grants from Israel Science Foundation, 1993-96, and German-Israel Foundation for Research and Development, 1997; laureate, Dan David Prize in the Past Dimension-Archaeology, 2005.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with Zeev Meshel) Sinai in Antiquity (in Hebrew), [Tel Aviv, Israel], 1980.

Izbet Sartah: An Early Iron Age Site near Rosh Haayin, Israel, edited by Irene Aranne, B.A.R. (Oxford, England), 1986.

Archaeology of the Period of Settlement and Judges (in Hebrew), [Tel Aviv, Israel], 1986.

The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement, translated by D. Saltz, Israel Exploration Society (Jerusalem, Israel), 1988.

(Editor, with Ischak Magen) Archaeological Survey of the Hill Country of Benjamin (in Hebrew and English), [Jerusalem, Israel], 1993.

(Editor) Shiloh: The Archaeology of a Biblical Site, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel), 1993.

(Editor, with Nadav Na'aman) From Nomadism to Monarchy: Archaeological and Historical Aspects of Early Israel, Israel Exploration Society (Jerusalem, Israel), 1994.

Living on the Fringe: The Archaeology and History of the Negev, Sinai, and Neighbouring Regions in the Bronze and Iron Ages, Sheffield Academic Press (Sheffield, England), 1995.

(Editor, with Zvi Lederman) Highlands of Many Cultures: The Southern Samaria Survey: The Sites, two volumes, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel), 1997.

(Editor, with David Ussishkin and Baruch Halpern) Megiddo III: The 1992-1996 Seasons, two volumes, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel), 2000.

(With Neil Asher Silberman) The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, Free Press (New York, NY), 2001.

(With Yuval Goren and Nadav Na'aman) Inscribed in Clay: Provenance Study of the Amarna Letters and Other Ancient Near Eastern Texts, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel), 2004.

(Editor, with David Ussishkin and Baruch Halpern) Megiddo IV: The 1998-2002 Seasons, two volumes, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel), 2006.

(With Neil Asher Silberman) David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition, Free Press (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Amihai Mazar) The Quest for the Historical Israel: Debating Archaeology and the History of Early Israel, edited by Brian B. Schmidt, E.J. Brill (Boston, MA), 2007.

Un archéologue au pays de la Bible, Bayard (Paris, France), 2008.

Contributor to books, including The Sea Peoples and Their World: A Reassessment, edited by E. Oren, 2000; and The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating: Archaeology, Text, and Science, edited by T. Levy and T. Higham, 2005. Executive editor of monograph series, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, 2005—. Contributor to professional journals, including Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Israel Exploration Journal, Palestine Exploration Quarterly, American Journal of Archaeology, Antiquity, Journal of Archaeological Science, Near Eastern Archaeology, and Levant.

ADAPTATIONS:

The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, was the basis for a television program under the same name, made in France and aired on ARTE and other televisions stations in France and across Europe.

SIDELIGHTS:

Israel Finkelstein is a professor of archaeology and the author of many books that document his explorations and theories. In The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement Finkelstein examines excavation and survey data to aid in determining how the Israelites came to settle in the land of Canaan during Iron Age I. Much of the material comes from Finkelstein's own work, including his excavations at Shiloh and Izbet Sartah and his survey of the Territory of Ephraim. Of the three major schools of interpretation, his findings are most closely in line with those of Albrecht Alt and others who favor the nomadic infiltration model, and Finkelstein enhances this theory with fresh material. American Journal of Archaeology reviewer Christopher Edens wrote that "fundamental here is the geographical sequence of settlement and dynamic demographic patterns through Iron Age I, and the relative shift from cereal to olive orchard and vineyard production together with the changes of labor requirements and emerging commodity exchange that this shift entails. These changes of settlement and economy that Finkelstein so capably derives from survey data strongly resonate with recent anthropological accounts of the emergence of the Israelite state." Walter E. Rast noted in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies that Finkelstein's position "falls somewhere between those holding for an indigenous development, and those opting for a movement from outside. If Finkelstein is correct, the evidence is pointing in the direction of a people with a longer history in relation to the country, but who have also been determined by local pulsations of de-urbanization, pastoralism, and re-sedentarization." "Finkelstein's book is a landmark in biblical-archaeological research," wrote Thomas L. Thompson in the Journal of Biblical Literature, "now finally moving out of the historiographical crisis over the history of Israel's origins which has dominated the field…. His book establishes a firm foundation for all of us to begin building an accurate, detailed, and methodologically sound history of Israel." Writing in Religious Studies Review, Wayne T. Pitard called The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement "an extraordinarily valuable book."

Archaeological Survey of the Hill Country of Benjamin presents the results of a survey of the central hill country of Israel initiated by the Israel Antiquities Authority. The information is presented in both Hebrew and English, with the Hebrew section being the more complete and comprehensive. Paul F. Jacobs pointed out in the Journal of the American Oriental Society that with an undertaking this broad in scope, it would be impossible, and too costly, to describe and draw every piece of evidence discovered. "In this light," wrote Jacobs, "Finkelstein's intimation of shrinking archaeological resources (some of the sites reported in this volume have already disappeared under modern construction techniques) also serves to refocus attention on the obligation archaeologists and historians have not only to publish their research, as this book surely does, but also to learn to do much more with their data."

In Living on the Fringe: The Archaeology and History of the Negev, Sinai, and Neighbouring Regions in the Bronze and Iron Ages, Finkelstein provides his theory of long-term settlement and the demographic processes in the arid zones of the southern Levant. In Part I, he examines the archaeologically visible patterns of nomads, settlement oscillations, sedentarization, and nomadization. Part II is an investigation of periods from the Early Bronze Age to the Late Iron Age. American Journal of Archaeology contributor Piotr Bienkowski wrote that "Finkelstein's overall hypothesis is essentially that in periods with no evidence of settled occupation there is still occupation by pastoral nomads, and that ‘oscillations in the quantity of archaeological remains should be explained in terms of socioeconomic transformations from sedentary life to pastoral nomadism and back.’" Bienkowski said that the book "is a good example of one scholar's ideas taken to their logical conclusion…. Everything fits in neatly, but sufficient weight is not given to alternative possibilities or to conflicting evidence." "Finkelstein's book presents a grand design for arid-zone development during protohistory and historical periods where none has been ventured before," wrote Douglas Baird in Antiquity. Baird noted that Finkelstein's criticisms "invalidate previous interpretations of developments at various periods, but he has failed to apply the same degree of critical analysis to his own interpretations. Fundamentally the question remains whether one scheme of fluctuating nomadization and sedentarization thoroughly accounts for the developments documented in arid and neighbouring moister areas. Finkelstein has presented us with challenging views in an entertaining fashion." Religious Studies Review contributor William M. Schniedewind called the volume "an excellent resource for archaeologists and anyone interested in exciting new approaches to the history of ancient Palestine." "The historical orientation of Finkelstein's discussion of nomads cannot be fully appreciated without taking into account other contributions by the same author," wrote Alexander H. Joffe in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, and added that "Finkelstein has undertaken nothing short of a complete rewriting of the archaeology of the southern Levant."

The two-volume Highlands of Many Cultures: The Southern Samaria Survey: The Sites provides survey data for 585 sites in a 400-square-mile area. Data catalogued for each site includes site name, geographical identification, grid reference, previous literature, elevation, pottery, and dates. Climate, geography, demography, land use, flora, and environmental specifics are discussed in separate chapters. Finkelstein and coeditor Zvi Lederman provide all relevant data for the study of settlement history, including access to water sources. A third volume will interpret the survey data along with economic, demographic, and historical information. "This book is invaluable for a better understanding of highland culture," wrote Eric M. Meyers in Biblical Archaeology Review. Schniedewind called the volume "an indispensable resource for archaeologists, and its syntheses should also be invaluable to historians of Palestine."

Megiddo III: The 1992-1996 Seasons is the first report of the excavation of the site by a team from Tel Aviv University led by Finkelstein and coeditor David Ussishkin. Reports of the first excavations, made by the University of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s, were published by that university's Oriental Institute as Megiddo I and Megiddo II. The third editor of Megiddo III is Baruch Halpern of Pennsylvania State University. Hershel Shanks, writing in Biblical Archaeology Review, called the prompt publication of the report "an event," noting that final reports, and in some cases even preliminary reports, of other digs have never been issued. The excavation resulted in a huge amount of material— tons of pottery sherds, tiny bones, and carbonized fruit, down to the tiniest seeds and grains. Megiddo III also details the use of the most modern archaeological methods, where large teams work at unearthing their finds and computerizing the material so that it can be studied and compared from a number of perspectives. "Indeed," said Shanks, "a separate chapter in this report is devoted to the excavation's extremely sophisticated data management system, which should be useful to future excavations."

Library Journal reviewer Marianne Orme wrote that in The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Version of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman "attempt to sort out what archaeology tells us about who wrote the Bible." A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the authors failed to meet their goal of producing a book for the general reader and said that "considerable knowledge about the Bible and biblical archaeology is required to make an informed judgement about the stance of these erudite authorities." Finkelstein and Silberman offer evidence discovered by archaeologists working in the Near East to show that the Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures, is not a factual history, but rather a saga fashioned by its authors beginning during the reign of King Josiah near the end of the seventh century B.C. According to the Book of Kings, Josiah, a righteous king and descendant of King David, followed the commandments contained on a scroll uncovered during the renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem. He abolished idolatry, purified the Temple, and carried out the reformation that complemented his plan for territorial expansion. The Hebrew Bible was the creation of authors and editors who drew from diverse traditions, who edited, rewrote, and added to it over the centuries, not as an historical account, but to solidify a nation of people under God. Booklist reviewer Bryce Christensen noted that the Hebrew Bible is seen by the authors as "a distinctly human record, one bearing the marks not of careful historians but rather of impassioned visionaries." New York Times Book Review contributor Phyllis Trible, who called this "a fascinating book," said that as to the Hebrew Bible, "Finkelstein and Silberman leave no doubt of their reverence for it. In their view, however, it is ‘not a miraculous revelation, but a brilliant product of the human imagination.’"

The authors use archaeology independently to reconstruct the history of Israel, rather than as a source to verify the biblical record. They argue that the Exodus did not occur, the conquest of Canaan never happened, and that David and Solomon did live in the tenth century B.C., but were "little more than hill country chieftains." They find no evidence to verify the biblical accounts of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and others. "These conclusions do not lead to historical nihilism," said Trible, "but open up alternative understandings promoted in the thesis of the book." Trible concluded by saying that the authors "have themselves written a provocative book that bears the mark of a detective story. In juxtaposing the biblical record and archaeological data, they work with tantalizing fragments of a distant past. Assembling clues to argue their thesis requires bold imagination and disciplined research. The Bible Unearthed exhibits both in abundance. Imagination invariably exceeds the evidence; research makes plausible the reconstruction. Fortunately, the book does not achieve its goal: ‘to attempt to separate history from legend.’ It is better than that, for it shows how intertwined they are."

In similar fashion to The Bible Unearthed, the book David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition has been described as neither an attempt to add credibility to the stories of the biblical kings nor an iconoclastic attempt to disprove them. Rather, according to scholars and critics, Finkelstein and Silberman set out a parallel story line based on their archaeological research. Archaeology reveals little or no evidence that David or Solomon existed, at least during the time period ascribed to them by Old Testament tradition, they write. If these figures did live, based on the archaeological evidence, it would have been in a much less grandiose setting. David would likely have been a local chieftain, at best, who may or may not have slain a giant; and his son Solomon would have been heir to a much more humble legacy and smaller kingdom than biblical interpretations suggest. That does not mean, however, that these men never lived to make a lasting contribution to religious faith and scholarship. The authors suggest that the core stories of David and Solomon have been adapted and embellished over many centuries for various reasons—to add validity to the wisdom and heritage of religious reformer Josiah, for example, or to strengthen the lineage of David to sustain the Jewish (and later Christian) people through times of great trial and tribulation. David and Solomon is not so much an interpretation of the biblical events as it is an interpretation of the history and evolution of the biblical narrative itself. Antiquity reviewer Charlotte Whiting questioned the wisdom of dating archaeological finds by comparing them to dates of historical texts or biblical accounts and then using the archaeological dates to analyze the validity of source dates. Yet she did conclude that this approach can yield "interesting insights" about "why and when certain elements of the David and Solomon narratives might have been added or changed." Library Journal contributor James A. Overbeck called David and Solomon "an excellent addition to the current literature on the historical meaning of … recent archaeological research." A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the work "never boring but always challenging."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Journal of Archaeology, April, 1989, Christopher Edens, review of The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement, pp. 289-292; January, 1997, Piotr Bienkowski, review of Living on the Fringe: The Archaeology and History of the Negev, Sinai, and Neighbouring Regions in the Bronze and Iron Ages, pp. 101-103.

Antiquity, June, 1997, Douglas Baird, review of Living on the Fringe, p. 483; March, 2007, Charlotte Whiting, review of The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating: Archaeology, Text, and Science, p. 210.

Biblical Archaeologist, June, 1997, Bruce Routledge, review of Living on the Fringe, p. 110.

Biblical Archaeology Review, May-June, 2000, Eric M. Meyers, review of Highlands of Many Cultures: The Southern Samaria Survey: The Sites, p. 62; November-December, 2000, Hershel Shanks, review of Megiddo III: The 1992-1996 Seasons, pp. 64-71; March-April, 2001, William G. Dever, review of The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, p. 60.

Booklist, January 1, 2002, Bryce Christensen, review of The Bible Unearthed, p. 880; December 15, 2005, George Cohen, review of David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition, p. 6.

California Bookwatch, April, 2006, review of David and Solomon.

Catholic Biblical Quarterly, January, 1990, Marilyn M. Schaub, review of The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement, p. 114.

Christianity Today, June, 2006, Gordon Govier, review of David and Solomon, p. 63.

Journal of Biblical Literature, summer, 1990, Thomas L. Thompson, review of The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement, pp. 322-324.

Journal of Near Eastern Studies, January, 1993, Walter E. Rast, review of The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement, pp. 63-66; July, 2000, Alexander H. Joffe, review of Living on the Fringe, p. 224.

Journal of the American Oriental Society, April-June, 1997, Paul F. Jacobs, review of Archaeological Survey of the Hill Country of Benjamin, p. 366.

Journal Science, February, 2007, Andrew Lawler, review of David and Solomon,

Library Journal, December, 2000, Marianne Orme, review of The Bible Unearthed, p. 150; January 1, 2006, James A. Overbeck, review of David and Solomon, p. 124.

New York Times Book Review, February 4, 2001, Phyllis Trible, "God's Ghostwriters," p. 16.

Publishers Weekly, November 27, 2000, review of The Bible Unearthed, p. 72; January 1, 2001, review of The Bible Unearthed, p. 84; November 28, 2005, review of David and Solomon, p. 46.

Religious Studies Review, January, 1990, Wayne T. Pitard, review of The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement, p. 65; July, 1996, review of From Nomadism to Monarchy: Archaeological and Historical Aspects of Early Israel, p. 230; January, 1997, William M. Schniedewind, review of Living on the Fringe, p. 55; October, 1999, William M. Schniedewind, review of Highlands of Many Cultures, p. 403.

Wall Street Journal, December 31, 1997, Amy Dockser Marcus, "As Debate Simmers, Walls Fall at Jericho, and Ahab's a Hero; in the ‘Finkelstein Correction,’ an Archaeologist Recasts the Biblical Pecking Order," p. A1.