A history of Ancient Israel from the Patriarchs through the Romans

A history of Ancient Israel from the Patriarchs through the Romans / Eric H. Cline.-- Prince Frederick : Recorded Books, 2006.
7 sound discs (7 hr., 37 min.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in. + Includes: 1 course guide (96 p. : col. ill. ; 22 cm.)
(The Modern scholar)
Compact discs
Course guide includes bibliographical references
ISBN: 1419388711 (set); 141938872X (course guide)
Contents: Lecture 1.; Abraham and the patriarchs --; Lecture 2.; The Exodus and Egypt --; Lecture 3.; The conquest of Canaan: Israelites, Philistines, and Phoenicians --; Lecture 4.; King David in history and tradition --; Lecture 5.; King Solomon in history and tradition --; Lecture 6.; Excursus: the Ark of the Covenant --; Lecture 7.; The kingdom of Israel and the Omride dynasty --; Lecture 8.; The kingdom of Judah until the time of Sennacherib --; Lecture 9.; Neo-Babylonians and the end of the kingdom of Judah --; Lecture 10.; Persians and Greeks in Judea --; Lecture 11.; The coming of the Romans and Christianity --; Lecture 12.; Excursus: Qumran and the Dead Sea scrolls --; Lecture 13.; From the first Jewish revolt and the destruction of Jerusalem to Bar Kochba and the second Jewish rebellion --; Lecture 14.; Excursus: Masada, what really happened?

1. Israel -- History.

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This is part of the Recorded Books Modern Scholar Series, each set is a series of fourteen lectures by a college or university professor and a study guide that summarizes the material and presents a bibliography of material for further study. There are also online examinations and forums for the subjects. This course is presented by Eric Cline, a professor of Anthropology and Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures at the George Washington University and the author of several books on ancient battles and civilizations.

It was a surprise for me to learn how little archeological evidence exists for Kings David and Solomon and how much there is for the Omride dynasty in Israel. There are remains of great building projects by Kings Omri and Ahab such as the city of Samaria and only a single stele left that mentions the House of David. It was also interesting to lean how many battles have already taken place before Megiddo (Armageddon) and how many times Jerusalem has been besieged. This was a very informative series of lectures, helpfully illustrated with the accompanying study guide.