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The Source

by James A. Michener

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4.3(52,765)

In the 1960s, archaeologists excavating the fictional Tell Makor in Galilee uncover objects from successive layers of settlement. Each discovery opens a story from an earlier age, beginning with prehistoric agriculture and moving through Canaanite religion, the emergence of Israelite monotheism, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, exile, Hellenistic rule and Roman Judea.

Later sections encompass early Christianity, Islamic conquest, the Crusades, Jewish communities under persecution, Ottoman decline and the establishment of modern Israel. By returning to one contested site across thousands of years, the novel explores the endurance of religious identity and the ways archaeology, memory and political claims shape interpretations of the past.

Historical Periods

Babylonian Exile586–538 BCE Crusader States1098–1291 CE 1948 Arab–Israeli War1948–1949 CE

Genres

Historical Sagas

Historical people

Herod the Great75 BCE–5 BCE David1040 BCE–970 BCE

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