One of the premier historians of ancient Israel provides an overview of the issues involved in reconstructing the history of ancient Palestine. He demonstrates how one must integrate the study of geography, climate, archaeological discoveries, demography, oral traditions, and written documents-both biblical and nonbiblical-in order to provide the fullest picture of ancient Israel's experience. The Bible is not a textbook in history, and it was never intended to be one. ... What is regarded as history can only emerge from the result of the historiographer's work. The task of establishing what happened in the past is the ideal, but it can be no more than an interpretation. - Gsta W. Ahlstrm