Israel's History and the History of Israel

Mario Liverani is Professor of History of the Ancient Near East at the University of Rome "La Sapienza".

• Preface  Acknowledgements  1. Palestine in the Late Bronze Age (14th - 13th Centuries)  Part One: A Normal History  2. The Transition (12th Century)  3. The New Society (c. 1150-1050)  4. The Formative Process (c. 1050-930)  5. The Kingdom of Israel (c. 930 -740)  6. The Kingdom of Judah (c. 930-720)  7. The Impact of the Assyrian Empire (c. 740-640)  8. Pause between Two Empires (c. 640-610)  9. The Impact of the Babylonian Empire (c.610-585)  Intermezzo  10. The Axial Age  11. The Diaspora  12. The Abandoned Landscape  Part Two: An Invented History  13. Returnees and 'Remainees': The Invention of the Patriarchs  14. Returnees and Aliens: The Invention of the Conquest  15. A Nation without a King: The Invention of the Judges  16. The Royal Option: The Invention of the United Monarchy  17. The Priestly Option: The Invention of the Solomonic Temple  18. Self-Identification: The Invention of the Law  Epilogue  19. Local History and Universal Values  Bibliography

"Liverani charts a sinuous and expert path through the minefield that has come to mark the discussion over how to reconstruct ancient Israelite history. No one will come away from reading him without being challenged, indeed exhilarated by the depth of his insights and the breadth of his vision." – Peter Machinist, Harvard University"Liverani's intentions in offering an account of the biblical transformation of Israel's past 'from trivial event to significant re-elaboration' are to be commended. His book is an appropriate and exciting alternative to the biblical narrative." – Times Literary Supplement"The work is stimulating, original in all its parts, and contains many original insights that will no doubt fertilize all future discussions about the Bible as a source for the history of ancient Israel." –Review of Biblical Literature