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9781443835022

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In The Mystery of the Ten Lost Tribes, Ziva Shavitsky takes us on a fascinating and unusual journey. Strikingly, this book deals with Jews in exile from the early times of the Davidic dynasty down to the Community of the return. We are accustomed to [studying] the growth of Jewish Diasporas from the Persian period [onwards], but Shavitsky's focus on the earlier times provides fresh insights. We learn about Jews in Aram, we find their traces in Assyrian monuments, and in cuneiform documents, in the Temple of Elephantini in Egypt. Intriguingly, her research proceeds as a conversation between the biblical documents, the Ancient Near Eastern sources, and the archaeological record. The picture she draws so competently will captivate all scholars of Ancient Israel. This work opens up and highlights a neglected dimension of the history of the Jewish people in the early first millennium. Its contribution is most significant. - Michael E. Stone, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion, Hebrew University of Jerusalem In this one-volume work, well written in a lively and enthusiastic manner, Ziva Shavitsky engages the reader in a search for ancient Jewish communities who lived outside Israel. Straddling several disciplines - biblical studies, Near Eastern studies and archaeology - Shavitsky carefully sifts both textual evidence and material culture to reveal a fascinating story of the Jews in exile before the end of the Achaemenid Empire. It is the chronological focus of this narrative that makes the story so fascinating. Beginning with the Davidic period, we are at once drawn into a multitude of cultural interactions between the southern Levant and the neighbouring lands. As such, we are treated not only to a story of the ancient Israelites in exile, but are also provided with snapshots of ancient Near Eastern history. - Antonio Sagona, Professor of Archaeology, The University of Melbourne This is a book by someone who loves the [Hebrew] language. The book is in English, but only a Hebrew scholar could have written. - Sam Lipski, former editor The Australian Jewish News In the heart of this volume, the author provides both a valuable summary of the biblical narrative, tracing the destruction of Israel and Judah at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians, and an analysis of the Mesopotamian textual sources that note individuals with personal names thought to be Israelite. - Ira Spar, The Historian, 75:1, 127-128.

Author Information

Ziva Shavitsky is a Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature. She is a former Director of The Centre for Jewish History and Culture at the University of Melbourne. Her areas of teaching and research cover Biblical Literature as well as modern Hebrew Language and Literature. Her publications include articles and chapters dealing with Biblical topics and Modern Hebrew authors. She has also co-authored a Lexicon based on the commentary of Ibn Ezra. She has been President of The Australian Association of Jewish Studies as well as co-editor of the Australian Journal for Jewish Studies.

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