Deus Artefacta: Kathleen Kenyon

Dame Kathleen Kenyon
Colorized by David E. Graves / Wikimedia Commons

Dame Kathleen Kenyon (1906 – 1978) was a renowned British archaeologist who made significant contributions to the field of archaeology, particularly in the study of ancient civilizations. Born on January 5, 1906, in London, England, she developed a passion for archaeology at a young age.

Kenyon's career in archaeology began in the 1930s when she joined the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem. She conducted excavations in various sites in the Middle East, including Jericho, Tell es-Sultan, and Tell Abu Hureyra. Her meticulous excavation techniques and attention to detail revolutionized the field, setting new standards for archaeological methodology.

One of Kenyon's most notable achievements was her excavation of Jericho, where she uncovered evidence of the city's ancient walls and provided valuable insights into its history. Her work at Jericho challenged previous theories and shed light on the development of urban societies in the region.

Throughout her career, Kenyon published numerous scholarly articles and books, sharing her findings and contributing to the academic community. Her work not only advanced our understanding of ancient civilizations but also paved the way for future archaeological research.

In recognition of her contributions, Kenyon received numerous honors and awards, including being appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1973. She continued to be actively involved in archaeology until her retirement in 1973.

Dame Kathleen Kenyon's legacy as a pioneering archaeologist and her dedication to advancing the field continue to inspire and influence archaeologists worldwide. Her meticulous approach and groundbreaking discoveries have left an indelible mark on the study of ancient civilizations.

Information on (Dame) Kathleen Kenyon can be found in the following articles. Kenyon's excavation reports were not published until after her death and so scholars did not have the opportunity to examine her research until after she died (See the Bryant Wood controversy).

However, there is more to the site of Jericho than the debate between Kenyon and Wood. Certainly there is lots of information under Jericho related to Kenyon. Information on Kenyon can be found in the history of archaeology and in a good Bible Dictionary or Encyclopedia LINK under the sites that she excavated. Questions that one needs to ask when studying Kenyon are:

What was the controversy surrounding the location of Jericho between Dr. Bryant Wood and Kathleen Kenyan?
What was her specialty in archaeology?
Where did she excavate besides Jericho?
What is the Wheeler-Kenyon Method?
What discoveries was she involved in?
What was the Biblical impact of her research?

On the live of Dame Kathleen Kenyon see the new book on The History of Biblical Archaeology.

Dame Kathleen Kenyon
Colorized by David E. Graves / Wikimedia Commons

Helpful Online Resources:

“Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon, 1906-1978.” The Palestine Exploration Fund (2012): n.p. LINK.

Broshi, Magen. “Review of Archaeology, Dogs and Gin: Review of Dame Kathleen Kenyon, Digging Up the Holy Land.” Bible History Daily: Biblical Archaeology Society, March 21, 2012. LINK.

Callaway, Joseph A. “Dame Kathleen Kenyon, 1906 -1978.” The Biblical Archaeologist 42, no. 2 (1979): 122–25. JSTOR

Callaway, Joseph A. “Kathleen Kenyon 1906–1978.” Biblical Archaeology Review 4, no. 4 (1978): 122-25. LINK.

Chisholm, Hugh, ed. “Dame Kathleen Kenyon.” in Encyclopædia Britannica. 11th ed. 32 vols. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1911. LINK.

Davis, Miriam C. Dame Kathleen Kenyon: Digging Up the Holy Land. Wallnut Creek, CA: Left Coast, 2008. LINK.

Dever, William G. “Review: Digging up Jerusalem.” American Anthropologist, New Series 78, no. 4 (1976): 711-12.

Dever, William G. “Kathleen Kenyon (1906-1978): Tribute.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 232 (1978): 3–4. JSTOR

Dever, William G. “Kathleen Kenyon (1906-1978)." Pages 525–53 in Breaking Ground: Pioneering Women Archaeologists. Edited by G. M. Cohen and M. S. Joukowsky. Ann Arbor, Mich., University of Michigan Press, 2004. Google Books

Díaz-Andreu, Magarita and Marie Louise Stig Sørensen, eds. Excavating Women: a History of Women in European Archaeology. London: Routledge, 2013. Google Preview and Amazon Look Inside

Fagan, Brian. “Kathleen Kenyon.” Pages 140-44 in Archaeologists: Explorers of the Human Past. Oxford Profiles. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2003. Look Inside

Gibson, Shimon, and Michael Avi-Yonah. “Kenyon, Dame Kathleen Mary.” Edited by Fred Skolnik and Michael Berenbaum. Vol 12 Encyclopaedia Judaica. 22 Vols. New York, N.Y.: MacMillan, 2006. LINK

Grisanti Michael A. “Recent Archaeological Discoveries That Lend Credence to the Historicity Of The Scriptures.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 56 no. 3 (2013): 475–97. PDF

Holland, Thomas, “Kenyon, Kathleen Mary.” in Encyclopedia of Archaeology: History and Discoveries. edited by Tim Murray. 3 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. LINK

Moorey, P. R. S. “Kathleen Kenyon and Palestinian Archaeology,” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 111, no. 1 (1979), 3–10. ProQuest

Moorey, P. R. S. “Kathleen Kenyon in Retrospect. British Women in Near Eastern Archaeology: Kathleen Kenyon and the Pioneers.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 124, no. 2 (1992): 91-100.
Parry, Melanie, ed. “Kenyon, Dame Kathleen Mary.” in Chambers Biographical Dictionary. 6 Sub edition. New York, N.Y.: Chambers, 1997. LINK

Prag, Kay. “Kathleen Kenyon and Archaeology in the Holy Land.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 124, no. 2 (1992), 109-23. ProQuest

Scheller, William. “Kathleen Kenyon: The Biblical City of Jericho.” Pages 129-42 in Amazing Archaeologists and Their Finds. Minneapolis, Minn.: Oliver Press Inc, 1994. Google Preview

Tyson, Peter. “Mystery of Great Zimbabwe,” Nova (February 22, 2000): 1. LINK
Tushingham, A. D. “Kenyon, Kathleen Mary.” In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East, edited by Eric M. Meyers, 3:279-80. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press/Oxford Biblical Studies Online, 1997. LINK Access through Liberty library online.
Wilkes, John. “Kathleen Kenyon in Roman Britain.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 124, no. 2 (1992), 101-108.

Helpful Articles:

Davies, G. I. “British Archaeologists.” In Benchmarks in Time and Culture: An Introduction to Palestinian Archaeology, edited by Joel F. Drinkard, Gerald L. Mattingly, and J. Maxwell Miller. ASOR/SBL Archaeology And Biblical Studies. Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1988, 37–62.

Huckaby, Gary C. “An Analysis of the Methodology of Kathleen M. Kenyon in Relation to Biblical Archaeology in Palestine with a Focus on Jericho.” Ph.D. dissertation, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1984.
Kenrick, Philip M. (1986), Excavations at Sabratha, 1948-1951: A Report on the Excavations conducted by Kathleen Kenyon and John Ward-Perkins, Journal of Roman Studies Monographs 2, London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 1986.

Kenyon, Kathleen M. Archaeology in the Holy Land. 4th ed. London: Ernest Benn Ltd, 1979.

Lönnqvist, Minna (2008) “Kathleen M. Kenyon 1906-1978, A hundred years after her birth,The formative years of a female archaeologist: From socio-politics to the stratigraphical method and the radiocarbon revolution in archaeology,” in Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Madrid, April 3–8, 2006, ed. by Joaquín Mª Córdoba, Miquel Molist, Mª Carmen Pérez, Isabel Rubio, Sergio Martínez, UAM Ediciones: Madrid 2008, Vol. II, pp. 379–414.

Moorey P.R.S. and P.J. Parr (eds.), Archaeology in the Levant: Essays for Kathleen Kenyon 1985.

Nash, Kathleen S. “Kenyon, Kathleen.” Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 8. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 5110-5111.

Prag, Kay. Excavations by K. M. Kenyon in Jerusalem 1961-1967: Discoveries in Hellenistic to Ottoman Jerusalem. Vol. 5. Levant Supplementary 7. Oxford: Council for British Research in the Levant, 2008.

Prag, Kay. “Kenyon’s Jerusalem Excavation Reports,” in On Scrolls, Artefacts, and Intellectual Property, ed. Timothy H. Lim, Hector L. MacQueen, and Calum M. Carmichael. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement 38. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001.

Steiner, Margarete L. Excavations by Kathleen M. Kenyon in Jerusalem 1961-1967: The Settlement in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Vol. 3. Copenhagen International Seminars. London, U.K.: Sheffield Academic, 2001.