Download PDF | Jodi Magness - Jerusalem through the Ages_ From Its Beginnings to the Crusades-Oxford University Press (2024).
641 Pages
Preface
Jerusalem attracts far more attention than it deserves.1 “Why is another book on Jerusalem needed?” asked a friend of mine who is not an archaeologist. Plenty of books have been written about Jerusalem from a diversity of perspectives ranging from sweeping overviews to deep dives into its history, archaeology, religion, politics, and so on. Is it possible to say something new about Jerusalem or present it in a different light? My friend’s question is one of the reasons I long dodged an invitation by Stefan Vranka, an editor at Oxford University Press, to write this book. But mainly I resisted because the more one knows about Jerusalem, the more one recognizes the limitations of that knowledge.
Jerusalem is so rich in remains, so incredibly layered and complex, that it is impossible to know everything about it. Eventually, Stefan’s persistence overcame my reluctance, and I agreed to write the book. Which brings us back to the question: Why is another book on Jerusalem needed? Although there are many excellent books about Jerusalem, most of those that cover the city’s premodern history and archaeology fall into one of two categories: either they are broad surveys written by nonspecialists or edited volumes containing chapters by multiple specialists, or they are studies written by individual specialists focusing on a specific time frame or topic. This volume differs in presenting a broad survey authored by a single specialist.2 An Israeli archaeologist was recently quoted as remarking that “People come to Jerusalem to hear a story. If you try to be very objective and show everything from every period, it is kind of boring.”3 But nothing about Jerusalem’s story is boring, and I believe that, as specialists, we have a responsibility to share with the public—as objectively as possible—detailed and scientific information about Jerusalem’s history and archaeology.
A book like this is not easy to write because it involves presenting granular archaeological data within a broad temporal framework. The presentation of such detailed information is precisely what differentiates this book from others and gives it value. Specifically, in response to another question my friend asked—“What will the reader learn that he or she doesn’t already know?”—the answer is: hopefully, a lot. Of course, every reader will have his or her own prior knowledge about Jerusalem, and no two individuals will have the same background. But nearly every reader of this book will learn something new about Jerusalem, not only because of the broad but detailed coverage, but because it includes the most recent archaeological discoveries as well as my own original research. My personal connection to Jerusalem goes back to 1974, when I arrived at the age of 18 to begin undergraduate studies in archaeology and history at the Hebrew University.
I have been captivated by the city ever since and am indebted to the many teachers, colleagues, friends, and students from whom I have learned so much over the years. Although it is impossible to name them all, I must mention Yigal Shiloh and Nahman Avigad (as the material from their excavations was the subject of my PhD dissertation), and Alon de Groot, Hillel Geva, Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, and Jane Cahill West—friends and colleagues whose seemingly boundless knowledge of Jerusalem is truly humbling. I am especially indebted to Alon, the anonymous outside reviewer, and Stefan for their helpful comments, although I alone am responsible for the contents.
I am also grateful to the friends, colleagues, organizations, and institutions who generously granted reproduction permission and provided images for the illustrations in this book, including Jane Cahill West, David Hendin and the American Numismatic Society, Avital Mazar Tsa`iri, Ronny Reich, Felicity Cobbing (Palestine Exploration Fund), Megan Sauter (Biblical Archaeology Society), Joe Uziel (Israel Antiquities Authority), Gideon Avni (Israel Antiquities Authority), Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah (Israel Antiquities Authority), Hillel Geva (Israel Exploration Society), Yael Barschak (Israel Museum Jerusalem), Visual Archive (Israel Antiquities Authority), Daphna Tsoran (Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University), Nava PanitzCohen (Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University), Zvi Greenhut (Israel Antiquities Authority), Yosef Spiezer (Bar-Ilan University), the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Matanyah Hecht (Holyland Tourism, Ltd.), Leen Ritmeyer, Zev Radovan, Shay Hausman (Carta), and Oberlin College. My original plan to write this book during a sabbatical in 2021–2022 was impacted in a positive way by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After everything shut down in March 2020 and we were housebound, I took the opportunity to start writing. This turned out to be fortuitous, as I realized in retrospect that I could never have completed the book in just one year. Considering the hardships suffered by others during the pandemic, I was extremely fortunate. By the time my sabbatical began in August 2021, I was able to go to Wisconsin, where I spent an enjoyable and productive semester on a Kingdon Fellowship at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of WisconsinMadison (UW). I am grateful to Steven Nadler (the Director) and Katie Apsey and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Neary (the staff ) for their support and hospitality during my stay. I benefited from conversations and interactions with other fellows, particularly Katarzyna (Kat) Lecky (who kindly read and offered helpful comments on drafts of the first two chapters), as well as with colleagues at UW Madison including Nick Cahill, Lisa Cooper, Jeremy Hutton, William Aylward, and Jordan Rosenblum. While I was there, my in-laws in Middleton– Linda and Greg Dauck, their daughter Rose, and her husband Mike–made me feel at home. In mid-January 2022, I traveled to Israel, where I spent a semester as a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow at Tel Aviv University while residing at the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem as the Seymour Gitin Distinguished Professor.
I am grateful to the Fulbright Scholar Program for their support and to Vered Noam for arranging the invitation at Tel Aviv University (TAU), as well as to Youval Rotman, Ronit Nevo, Anat Zion, and the other administrators and colleagues at TAU for their hospitality. I wish to express special appreciation of the Albright Institute, with which I have long been affiliated—beginning as a graduate student fellow in the mid-1980s, later as a member and officer of the Board of Trustees—and now, returning full circle, once again as both a fellow and member of the board. I am particularly grateful to Matt Adams, the Director at the time of my fellowship, for his hospitality and willingness to accommodate my needs during the difficult period of the pandemic, as well as the institute staff, including Aaron Greener, Nadia Bandak, Naual Herbawi, and Hisham M’farreh. For information about the institute, including how to support the current and future research of archaeologists and biblical scholars, visit www.aiar.org. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the support of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the assistance of the Department of Religious Studies, especially the Chair, Barbara Ambros, and the Department Manager, Tracey Cave, who navigated the ever-changing paperwork requirements and travel restrictions during the pandemic.
I am fortunate to have a loving family, including my father, Herbert Magness; my siblings, Alan and Lisa; and my step-nephew/adopted son Mike Miller. But, above all, I am grateful for the unconditional love and constant support of my husband, Jim Haberman, who patiently and uncomplainingly endured my extended absences during the sabbatical and prepared the illustrations for this book. My mother, Marlene Z. Magness, passed away shortly before this book went to press, after a long period of declining health. She was so proud of my accomplishments, which would have been impossible without the support and encouragement that she and my father provided. This book is dedicated to her memory.
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