BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Nomadic Biblical Kingdoms

BAR interviews archaeologist Erez Ben-Yosef

Was ancient Israel’s United Monarchy a semi-nomadic kingdom that is now largely invisible to modern archaeology? Some archaeologists think so. To better understand this theory, BAR Assistant Editor Nathan Steinmeyer visited the Timna excavations in southern Israel to talk with director Erez Ben-Yosef about his team’s recent studies on the kingdom of David and Solomon. As argued in “David and Solomon’s Invisible Kingdom” in the Summer 2023 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Ben-Yosef and co-author Zachary Thomas believe that ancient Israel’s legendary monarchs ruled over a mixed population of nomads and city dwellers. What is the evidence for nomads in the Bible and the archaeological record, and how does this change the way we think about the history of the biblical period?

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