The Archaeology of the Holy Land: Jodi Magness & Deirdre Fulton

In today’s episode, Claire is joined by archaeologists Jodi Magness and Deirdre Fulton to discuss Jodi’s book The Archaeology of the Holy Land: From the Destruction of Solomon’s Temple to the Muslim Conquest. This book is an excellent introduction to the archaeology of ancient Palestine with a structure that allows the reader to learn about the history alongside the archaeology. The introduction begins just before the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 BCE and moves through time covering the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Periods. Major sites include Masada, Caesarea Maritima, and Petra as she discusses monumental archaeology, pottery, and more. Jodi Magness is a Classical and Biblical archaeologist specializing in ancient Palestine (modern Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories) from the time of Jesus up to the tenth century. Her research interests include Jerusalem, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient synagogues, Masada, the Roman army in the East, ancient pottery, the Byzantine-early Islamic transition, and Diaspora Judaism in the Roman world. She has participated on over 20 excavations in Israel and in Greece, including co-directing the 1995 excavations in the Roman siege works at Masada. Since 2011, she has directed excavations at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee, which are bringing to light a monumental Late Roman (fifth century) synagogue paved with stunning mosaics.Her most recent books are Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades (2024) and Ancient Synagogues in Palestine. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Past President of the Archaeological Institute of America.Deirdre Fulton joined the Department of Religion at Baylor University in the fall semester 2013. Her area of research focuses on the Persian Period, specifically the books of Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Fulton is also interested in zooarchaeological related research, connecting text and artifact. She is involved in several ongoing excavations in Israel, including the Leon Levy Ashkelon Excavations, Tel Shimron Excavations, and also the Jezreel Valley Regional Project. Her interest in archaeology helps inform questions related to diet, sacrifice, and economy.Deirdre is a member of the Steering committees on Literature and History of the Persian period for the Society of Biblical Literature and the Feasting and Foodways for the American Schools of Oriental Research. She is also a member of the Catholic Biblical Association and American Institute of Archaeology. She is married to James Fulton, a Geochemist in the Department of Geology.