The Rural Landscape of Ancient Israel

<p>Israel is, and always has been, a geographical, historical and most importantly cultural crossroads, linking three continents, three of the great ancient religions, and thousands of years of history and culture. Archaeology in this region has always been interested in urban areas, in ancient sites such as Jerusalem, but the rural area of this country has always been neglected. This is suprising considering that this has always been a region of small settlements, villagers, and herdsmen, such as those depicted in biblical sources. This study is aimed at depicting the wide ranges of rural lifestyles that have been present in Israel over the various periods of history. There are reports beginning with the Early Bronze age, passing through the Iron Age, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and ranging as far forward as the period of occupation under the Mamlukes. This effectively spans the periods from the late Prehistoric through to Modern times. There are 10 reports in this study, and they