A secular look into the history of the Jewish people, intended for all. We will use archaeological, anthropological, and textual evidence to explore the culture, beliefs, lives, and political systems of the early Jewish people.
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Time period: ca. 975 - 925 BCE, plus a bunch on either end
We explore the city of Jerusalem in the time of the early monarchy and take a close look at the Temple of Solomon as described in the Book of Kings and as revealed by archaeology. The First Temple itself is completely destroyed, but other temples in Judah and throughout the Near East have survived and could give us a good idea of what the center for Judahite worship would have looked like. Plus, we meet Yachin and Boaz.
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14 Sept 2023
Episode 6: The Builder, Part 1
Time period: ca. 975 - 925 BCE
We look at the reign of King Solomon. While Saul and David are portrayed in the Tanakh as the founders of the Israelite states, Solomon is depicted as the founder of their institutions: the bureaucracy, the temple, the palaces, the diplomatic ties, the army, and the taxation. I go on a tangent about the taxes Solomon was supposed to have gathered and determined that he would have received an unreasonably-large sum of $113 million a year. We then look at the remains of Gezer, Hazor, and Megiddo, three cities which Solomon was said to have fortified. The archaeology of these sites is very controversial, so we dive into the opposing theories concerning when their gates were constructed.
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31 Aug 2023
Episode 5: The Neighbors
Time period: ca. 1200 - 800 BCE
We take a look at the peoples of the burgeoning kingdoms and city states around Palestine as well as the major empires in the Near East. On our tour we meet the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Arameans, Egyptians, and Assyrians. The Israelites will interact with all of these peoples throughout the Iron Age and will get attacked by most of them.
Music, as always, by Jacob Shaw.
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17 Aug 2023
Episode 4: The Kingmaker
Time period: ca. 1025 - 950 BCE
We watch as Israel undergoes a transition from the rural, relatively egalitarian society of the Iron Age I to a higher-population and more urbanized society in the Iron Age IIa. This transition also gives rise to the first Israelite monarchies, so we hear the stories of King Saul and King David, the famous founding kings according to the biblical narrative. We also take a look at the extraordinary site of Khirbet Qeiyafa, a city that existed for only about 20 years at the start of the Iron IIa period.
Music, as always, by Jacob Shaw.
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3 Aug 2023
Episode 3: Settling In
Time period: ca. 1200 - 1000 BCE
We look at the lives of the early Israelites. First we briefly familiarize ourselves with the Biblical narrative and look at some related linguistic evidence. Then we shift to look at the archaeological record of the Iron Age I period. We get up close and personal with Khirbet Raddana, a massive Israelite village of... seven houses. And sorry folks, check back in a few centuries for the camels.
Music, as always, by Jacob Shaw.
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20 Jul 2023
Episode 2: Free at Last?
Time period: ca. 1250 - 1150 BCE
We cover the Late Bronze Age Collapse and the arrival of the Israelites in Palestine. We discuss the Merneptah Stela, the Sea Peoples, and the chaotic debate over the origins of the Israelites. The vikings never wore helmets in real life, but we meet the people who actually did. Plus, keep an ear out for the Denyen. You never know where they might appear...
Music, as always, by Jacob Shaw
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6 Jul 2023
Episode 1: A Land of Milk and Honey
Time period: ca. 1600 - 1200 BCE
We dive into the narrative by talking about exactly zero Jewish people. Instead, we'll meet a lot of non-Jewish people, also known as Canaanites and Egyptians, and see what they were up to in a short period of 400 years of history. I also make the bold claim that geology can, in fact, be interesting. 23 minutes of me talking with way too little music and an appalling number and quality of jokes. Honestly, whoever's in charge really should have me fired.
Music, as always, by Jacob Shaw.
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29 Jun 2023
Episode 0: An Introduction
Welcome to A History of the Jewish People! I introduce myself and the show. Nothing too fancy except, of course, the fantastic music by Jacob Shaw.
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