The Archaeology of “Daily Life” in the Torah

The Archaeology of “Daily Life” in the Torah

Ever wonder what daily life was like for the ancient Israelites? Did you know the bread Abraham gives to his divine visitors would have taken Sarah upwards of six hours to prepare? Or consider how a woman who had as many children as Leah spent 14 – 21 years of her life breastfeeding? Dr. Kristine Henriksen Garroway researches how archaeology can help illuminate the Torah, and at an event at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, she discussed four sets of Biblical texts and the different archaeological finds related to them, offering a new, practical angle from which to understand them.

Dr. Kristine Henriksen Garroway is Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, CA where she teaches classes on Hebrew Bible, Archaeology, and Ancient Near Eastern History. She is the author of Children in the Ancient Near Eastern Household and Growing Up in Ancient Israel: Children in Material Culture and Biblical Texts, which won the Biblical Archaeology Society’s award for Best Book Related to the Hebrew Bible.

(This post is part of Sinai and Synapses’ project Scientists in Synagogues, a grass-roots program to offer Jews opportunities to explore the most interesting and pressing questions surrounding Judaism and science. Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center in Pasadena, CA hosted Dr. Garroway’s talk as part of their Scientists in Synagogues series, “The Intersection of Judaism and Science: Coexisting Searches”).

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