Course Descriptions

ONLINE ARCH 5/306 Archaeology of the Galilee - Credit Hours: 3

Semester normally offered:

Course Description

This course will focus on the history and archaeology of the Galilee from the Middle Bronze Age through the Roman Period. The Upper Galilee is heavily faulted and difficult to navigate, while the Lower Galilee is marked by broad east-west running valleys divided by several ridges. In the east is the imposing depression in which the Sea of Galilee sits. Israelites battled Canaanites in the Galilee, local kingdoms such as Israel, Tyre, and Aram-Damascus jockeyed for control of important trade routes through the region, and Jesus began his ministry in Galilee of the Nations. Join Drs. Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer as they investigate the archaeology, history, and cultures of this complex and diverse region.

Course Equivalencies

• Bible
• Biblical Archaeology
• Culture and History of Second Temple Period

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

• describe basic principles and methods related to the techniques of archaeological research, including survey and excavation, as well as advanced methods of analytical research that have been integrated into archaeological studies;
• describe basic principles and methods of dating archaeological finds in the Galilee;
• describe the material culture of the Galilee from each of the major archaeological periods covered and distinguish significant differences between them (from the Middle Bronze Age to the Early Roman Period);
• recall the major sites associated with each of the time periods covered and the work of the archaeologists who excavated them;
• describe, compare, and contrast significant connections between the material culture of the Galilee and that of neighboring cultures for each time period covered; and
• associate specific archaeological finds with descriptions of events or items mentioned in literary sources, including the Bible.

Field Study