Part of the Century series - each book reviews and summarises the key developments in a particular branch of religious studies during the past century. Combining readability and scholarship, this book provides a systematic survey of the relationship between archaeology and Biblical studies in Palestine from the first excavations at Tell el-Hesi in 1890 to 1990. This panoramic overview of the methods and theories that have served to illuminate the archaeology of the Holy Land is set in context by an introductory chapter which covers the earlier pioneering years before Pitt Rivers and Petrie. Roger Moorey examines in details the collaborations and conflicts between archaeologists with differing views as to the purpose of biblical archaeology, and focuses also on the effects of contemporary political and historical events on excavations.