| Abstract: | For the past two decades, Syrio-Palestine/biblical archaeology is known to have gradually disappeared from American colleges. Nonetheless, this issue has rarely been studied and addressed using quantitative and empirical data. In this paper, the past and present of Syrio-Palestine/biblical archaeology in American colleges are diagnosed by examining the archaeology curricula in American colleges. This study indicates that although it may not be moribund, Syrio-Palestine/biblical archaeology is invisible in many colleges. This paper also shows that Syrio-Palestine/biblical archaeology has been traditionally part of biblical studies in the United States, and it may continue to be so in the future. Hence, one potential avenue to revive Syrio-Palestine/biblical archaeology seems to lie in the integrative approach to archaeology and biblical studies. |
