Includes bibliographical references (pages 139-159) and indexes.

Vocational guidance counseling: what archaeology is and what archaeologists do -- Digging up the Bible: examples of using archaeology to interpret the Bible -- All in the family: house, family, village, and meal in the Iron Age highlands of Israel -- It is lived so briefly: osteoarchaeology and the New Testament -- Conclusions: what archaeology can and cannot do -- Appendix: Archaeological periods of Palestine (Neolithic to Iron Age).

"In this volume, David A. Fiensy provides a brief survey of a discipline that was once called "biblical archaeology." He describes how the conception of the field has changed; recounts how key discoveries have opened up new understandings of Israel's own history and religion; discusses how archaeological study has shaped the task of biblical interpretation; analyzes specific texts through archaeological perspectives; and provides conclusions, challenges, and considerations for the future of archaeology and biblical interpretation"-- Page 4 of cover.