The second edition of William Foxwell Albright’s Archaeology of Palestine and the Bible needs no introduction. One of the perennial touchstones in the field of archaeology in the ancient Near East, this work has been endlessly utilized. With a freshness apposite to its position among the pioneering works of a new discipline, this contribution laid the groundwork for countless future studies. Encapsulated in three lectures, Albright deftly describes how ancient Palestine was discovered, his famous excavation of Tell Beit Mirsim, and the relevance of archaeology for understanding the Bible. In setting the stage for what follows in the archaeological drama in Israel and throughout the Middle East, this work justly deserves a place in the Gorgias Classic Archaeological Reprints.

William Foxwell Albright (1891-1971) was an Orientalist and the father of what came to be called “Biblical Archaeology.” Albright’s influence in the field would be difficult to overestimate. He taught at the Johns Hopkins University and was director of the American Schools of Oriental Research.