excuse is that Jericho has broken fresh ground by plunging back
into the dim period of the first beginnings of settled life. It is a
literal fact that at the time of writing Jericho stands by itself in
these periods between the eighth and fifth millennia B.C. This is
undoubtedly illusory; other excavations will fill in the picture and
show that Jericho was a part only of a whole stage of progress,
though possibly an important part.

The progress of exploration is in fact so rapid at the moment
that already by the time this book is in proof, new discoveries
have been made which supplement (though not as far as I know
disprove) the statements and theories that have been advanced,
for instance, discoveries by Dr. Yadin at Megiddo confirming in
the main the suggestions here put forward as the dating of
Stratum IV. But if one waited to incorporate all the latest research,
a book of this sort would never be published. It has been revised
often enough as it is, since it was first begun some twelve years ago.

It is hoped that this book will be of interest to the wide general
public which regards the Bible as the greatest literary document
in the world, and which likes to be able to understand it as the
record of an actual people against a factual background. An
attempt has been made to provide this background. But at the
same time I have had in mind more professional students of
Palestinian archaeology, for whom no up-to-date consecutive
account of the findings of archaeology in Palestine exists. Much
of the basic archaeological material consists of dry stuff such as
pottery forms and burial customs, and I have felt compelled to
include some of this for the benefit of these students, as a guide to
their studies of the much drier material of excavation reports. I
hope that in an effort to provide something of interest both to the
general public and to the student, I have not fallen between two
stools.

K. M. K.

March 1960

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