Beneath the Old Testament: History, Memory, and the Ancient Near East (Beneath the Ancient World: Strategic Readings of Ancient Texts)

The Old Testament is often forced into a false choice: treated as untouchable theology or dismissed as legend. This book takes a different path, approaching its narratives as historical material open to archaeological and geopolitical analysis.

From Joseph's career in Egypt to Moses and Joshua's leadership, from a forensic reconstruction of the Levite's concubine to the historical figure behind Dānilu (Daniel), the author reads these accounts as events shaped by terrain, power structures, and regional politics.

Drawing on field archaeology, Near Eastern history, and long-term residence in the Middle East, this volume treats the Old Testament as a source for reconstructing how people actually lived, moved, and survived within real systems of authority and conflict.

Part of Beneath the Ancient World: Strategic Readings of Ancient Texts, this first edition represents ongoing research into the historical and material context of biblical narratives.

Elizabeth Legge is a Classical Archaeologist and Doctor of Medicine candidate at a European university. She achieved her Master's degree in Classical Archaeology at the University of Pisa, Italy and will be pursuing a PhD in the field. She was awarded her Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies and Bachelor of Sciences in Integrated Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has travelled extensively to all continents since childhood and lived in many countries. She is Australian, Canadian and half English.