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In 1909 the Scottish archaeologist Duncan Mackenzie, Sir Arthur
Evans's right-hand man on the excavations of the legendary 'Palace
of Minos' at Knossos since 1900, was appointed 'Explorer' of the
Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF). From the spring of 1910 until
December 1912 he was engaged in archaeological fieldwork in
Palestine, especially directing excavation campaigns at Ain Shems
(biblical Beth Shemesh) - an important site in the Shephelah of
Judah at the crossroads of Canaanite, Philistine, and Israelite
cultures. Mackenzie published the results of his work in various
issues of the Palestine Exploration Quarterly and Palestine
Exploration Fund Annual. Because of a financial dispute with the
PEF, however, he never submitted a detailed publication of his very
last campaign at Beth Shemesh, conducted in November-December 1912.
In 1992 Nicoletta Momigliano rediscovered Mackenzie's lost
manuscript on his latest discoveries at Beth Shemesh, which one of
his nephews had kept for nearly 80 years at his old family home in
the Scottish Highlands, in the small village of Muir of Ord. At
about the same time, Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman initiated
new excavations at Beth Shemesh which considerably changed previous
interpretations of the site. This volume presents Mackenzie's
detailed discussion of his last excavations at Beth Shemesh in the
light of these more recent discoveries. Although written over a
century ago, Mackenzie's manuscript deserves to be better known
today; it not only provides significant new information on this
important site but also constitutes an intriguing historical
document, shedding light on the history of field archaeology and of
biblical archaeology. Moreover, Mackenzie's pioneering approach to
archaeological fieldwork and the significance of his finds can
often be better appreciated today, from the perspective of more
recent developments and discoveries.
In 1909 the Scottish archaeologist Duncan Mackenzie, Sir Arthur
Evans's right-hand man on the excavations of the legendary 'Palace
of Minos' at Knossos since 1900, was appointed 'Explorer' of the
Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF). From the spring of 1910 until
December 1912 he was engaged in archaeological fieldwork in
Palestine, especially directing excavation campaigns at Ain Shems
(biblical Beth Shemesh) - an important site in the Shephelah of
Judah at the crossroads of Canaanite, Philistine, and Israelite
cultures. Mackenzie published the results of his work in various
issues of the Palestine Exploration Quarterly and Palestine
Exploration Fund Annual. Because of a financial dispute with the
PEF, however, he never submitted a detailed publication of his very
last campaign at Beth Shemesh, conducted in November-December 1912.
In 1992 Nicoletta Momigliano rediscovered Mackenzie's lost
manuscript on his latest discoveries at Beth Shemesh, which one of
his nephews had kept for nearly 80 years at his old family home in
the Scottish Highlands, in the small village of Muir of Ord. At
about the same time, Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman initiated
new excavations at Beth Shemesh which considerably changed previous
interpretations of the site. This volume presents Mackenzie's
detailed discussion of his last excavations at Beth Shemesh in the
light of these more recent discoveries. Although written over a
century ago, Mackenzie's manuscript deserves to be better known
today; it not only provides significant new information on this
important site but also constitutes an intriguing historical
document, shedding light on the history of field archaeology and of
biblical archaeology. Moreover, Mackenzie's pioneering approach to
archaeological fieldwork and the significance of his finds can
often be better appreciated today, from the perspective of more
recent developments and discoveries.
Excavations at Beth-Shemesh are actually a story within a story. On
the one hand, they are the story of the archaeology of the Land of
Israel in a nutshell: from the pioneering days of the Palestine
Exploration Fund, through the “Golden Age” of American
biblical archaeology, to current Israeli and international
archaeology. On the other hand, they are the fascinating story of a
border site that was constantly changing its face due to its
geopolitical location in the Sorek Valley in the Shephelah—a
juncture of Canaanite, Philistine, and Israelite entities and
cultures. It is no wonder that two celebrated biblical border
epics—Samson’s encounters with the Philistines and the Ark
narrative—took real or imagined place around Beth-Shemesh. In
this report, summarizing the first ten years (1990–2000) of
archaeological work in the ongoing project of the renewed
excavations at Tel Beth-Shemesh, the authors have strived to tell
anew the story of the Iron Age people of Beth-Shemesh as exposed
and interpreted. Using the best theoretical and methodological
tools that modern archaeology has made available, every effort has
been made to keep in view archaeology’s fundamental duty—to
read the ancient people behind the decayed walls and shattered
pottery vessels and bring alive their lost world. Furthermore, the
story of ancient Beth-Shemesh has been written in a way that will
enable scholars, students, and other interested people to learn and
understand the life of the communities living at Beth-Shemesh. As a
result, the book is organized in a manner different from usual
archaeological site reports. The two volumes will be essential for
anyone who wishes the best and latest information on this important
site.
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