Beginning in the late-13th century BC and ending with the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, this wide-ranging work looks at Israelite culture and places it within the context of the contemporary Near Eastern world. The book combines recent research with archaeological and epigraphic evidence. It sets the scene with the geography and history of Israel, its origins and social structure, and moves on to look at towns and villages, agriculture, industry and trade, as well as religion and the arts.