The Land of Canaan

What do we mean by "holy land"? What is the difference between archaeology and history? How reliable is the Hebrew Bible as a window into life in ancient Israel...

The Arrival of the Israelites

Explore what archaeologists have uncovered about the arrival of the Israelites into Canaan. Among the many intriguing artifacts you examine are an ancient Egypt...

Jerusalem - An Introduction to the City

Here, survey the topography and layout of Jerusalem - perhaps the most important city in religious history. Then, review biblical accounts of Jerusalem from the...

The Jerusalem of David and Solomon

In this first lecture on the remains of the biblical City of David, comb through the fascinating remains of a scribe's house located behind a city wall; grasp t...

Biblical Jerusalem's Ancient Water Systems

Continue your archaeological exploration of the City of David by focusing on its ancient water system, centered on the Gihon Spring. Learn about the three diffe...

Samaria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel

Turn now to Israel as it was ruled under the Omride dynasty between Solomon's death and the Assyrian invasion in 722 B.C.E. Here, explore important ruins, inclu...

Fortifications and Cult Practices

Delve into aspects of everyday life in the kingdoms of ancient Israel. Focus on how elaborately recessed gates were designed to protect cities like Gezer from e...

Babylonian Exile and the Persian Restoration

In 539 B.C.E., after the Babylonians were subsumed by the Persian Empire, the exiled Judeans were allowed to return to Jerusalem. So what happened next? Find ou...

Alexander the Great and His Successors

Alexander the Great's conquests of the Near East introduced Greek culture to the Holy Land. Professor Magness uses archaeological findings - including the perso...

The Hellenization of Palestine

Continue examining the Hellenistic influence on the Holy Land - this time on non-Jewish populations in the area. Focus on three distinct cities: Iraq el-Amir (w...

The Maccabean Revolt

Turn now to the impact of the Greeks on the Jewish population of Judea. Tour the tumultuous years between 167 and 103 B.C.E., which saw Antiochus IV's impositio...

The Hasmonean Kingdom

In this investigation of the Hasmoneans, meet individuals including the cruel king Alexander Jannaeus and his accomplished queen and widow, and examine the civi...

Pharisees and Sadducees

By the mid-2nd century B.C.E., various Jewish sects had established themselves. Here, compare and contrast two of the most dominant of these sects: the Pharisee...

Discovery and Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Travel to Qumran, the archaeological site located adjacent to the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered in the late 1940s. As you tour the caves and t...

The Sectarian Settlement at Qumran

Continue touring the site at Qumran, with a focus on three distinctive features of the settlement. These are animal bones found in pots; an elaborate water syst...

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essenes

Scholars believe the Qumran community, commonly identified with the Essenes, was a sect that lived in anticipation of the End of Days. What was it like to be a ...

The Life of the Essenes

In this final lecture on the Qumran sect, investigate the ancient latrines and hygienic practices of the community. Your three sources for insights into this li...

From Roman Annexation to Herod the Great

Witness the rise of Herod the Great - the ruthless king who governed Judea between 40 and 4 B.C.E. and who is most infamous for ordering the slaughter of the in...

Herod as Builder - Jerusalem's Temple Mount

In the first of several lectures on Herod's great buildings, many of which served as the backdrop to Jesus's life and ministry, walk through the reconstructed S...

Caesarea Maritima - Harbor and Showcase City

During his reign, Herod also built Greco-Roman style cities in his non-Jewish territories. Here, Professor Magness guides you through the most famous of these: ...

From Herod's Last Years to Pontius Pilate

Visit Herod's winter palace at Jericho, where he spent his final years, and his fortified palace at Herodium, where - in 2007 - archaeologists discovered his to...

Galilee - Setting of Jesus's Life and Ministry

Tour the remains of Galilean towns and villages that date back to the time of Jesus, including Sepphoris (with its theater) and Capernaum (with its neighborhood...

Synagogues in the Time of Jesus

What do we know about the synagogues that served as the setting for the teachings of Jesus and Paul? After surveying the history of this religious institution, ...

Sites of the Trial and Final Hours of Jesus

Explore the Antonia Fortress, the Church of the Sisters of Zion, three successive lines of fortification walls, the ruins of a burnt Jewish villa, and other arc...

Early Jewish Tombs in Jerusalem

Chart the development of ancient Jewish rock-cut tombs and burial customs. First, peer inside an Iron-Age cemetery at Ketef Hinnom and view the scant remains of...

Monumental Tombs in the Time of Jesus

Turn now to burial customs spanning the Second Temple period, with a particular emphasis on the use of stone ossuaries to store the bones of the deceased. You'l...

The Burials of Jesus and James

Place the Gospel accounts of the death and burial of Jesus within an archaeological context. The highlight of this lecture is the discussion of two recent - and...

The First Jewish Revolt; Jerusalem Destroyed

Relive the first Jewish revolt against Rome between 66 and 70 C.E. You'll follow the infighting among Jewish rebel groups, explore the sites of fierce battles b...

Masada - Herod's Desert Palace and the Siege

After the end of the first Jewish revolt, three Herodian fortresses remained occupied by Jewish rebels. The most famous of these: Masada. Here, discover what ar...

Flavius Josephus and the Mass Suicide

Pore over the remains of a ramp that was instrumental in the Roman victory at Masada. Then, take a closer look at controversies over the mass suicide of the Jew...

The Second Jewish Revolt against the Romans

Investigate archaeological finds from the last 50 years that have shed unprecedented new light on the second major Jewish uprising: the Bar-Kokhba Revolt. Centr...

Roman Jerusalem - Hadrian's Aelia Capitolina

The Roman emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as the pagan city Aelia Capitolina. Witness the results of his rule, including the iconic Damascus Gate, a towering ...

Christian Emperors and Pilgrimage Sites

The legalization of Christianity under Constantine radically transformed the landscape of ancient Israel. In the first of two lectures on the Holy Land under th...

Judaism and Synagogues under Christian Rule

As Christianity spread across the Holy Land, synagogues became increasingly larger and more elaborate in an attempt to bolster Judaism. See how this was done by...

Islam's Transformation of Jerusalem

The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are the two most potent examples of the spread of Islam into the Holy Land beginning in the mid-7th century C.E. Dis...

What and How Archaeology Reveals

What is it like to work alongside an archaeologist in the field? In Professor Magness's final lecture, experience how archaeologists reconstruct their delicate ...

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