Of all the cities in the Middle East, Jerusalem is the one that has probably been subjected to the greatest number of excavations and surveys. The drive to recover the material culture of this crucial religious centre dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century, and has continued with undimmed energy through to the present day. The archaeological researcher is certainly well advised to seek out the widest variety of publications for comparative purposes, but this process brings with it significant challenges. In particular, there is the issue of how to interpret data from older excavations when the methodologies adopted for collection and analysis do not meet with contemporary expectations.

In this context, critical re-evaluations of earlier archaeological projects take on considerable importance. Their value is not simply historiographic: effective studies of this nature can help to modify or overturn long-held assumptions and bring neglected information back into mainstream discourse. The present volume deals with the contributions to the archaeology of Jerusalem made by Dame Kathleen Kenyon (d. 1979), one of the most significant British archaeologists working in the Middle East during the twentieth century. The author, Kay Prag, is ideally placed to offer an assessment of Kenyon's findings, given her role as the Director of the Ancient Jerusalem Project at the Manchester Museum. Prag oversees the archives of Kenyon's excavations in the city, 1961–67, and has edited volumes 4–6 of the final reports from these seasons, as well as publishing numerous articles and book chapters on related topics.

Prag begins her introduction by making clear that the lectures were not intended simply to present a narrative summary of Kenyon's discoveries in Jerusalem. Rather, the author views them “as an opportunity to look at the uses of the archive, and its relevance today to our understanding of the archaeology of Jerusalem and of the contribution of the Joint Expedition to this understanding” (p. 1). The Joint Expedition refers to the collaboration between the British School of Archaeology, the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem (until 1963), and the Royal Ontario Museum (1962–67). This concentration on the “uses of the archive” necessitates a discussion of this resource in chapter 2 (pp. 5–10). Prag provides a wealth of detail about the materials used on site (notepads, inks, filing cards, and so on), as well as the methods used in on-site recording and the cataloguing of finds. She also discusses the issues relating to the interpretation of faded drawings and notes, the deciphering of Kenyon's handwriting (described as “virtually illegible” on p. 61), and the digitizing of paper documents.

The remaining chapters (3–5) present the archaeological evidence from Kenyon's excavations in chronological order from the Bronze Age through to 1516 ce. Although Prag has dealt with it in other publications, she chooses not to include here an evaluation of material dating to the centuries of Ottoman rule. The volume is completed by an appendix, written by Michael Zellmann-Rohrer, dealing with an intriguing cast lead ornament, inscribed in Greek characters of uncertain meaning.

The scale of Kenyon's excavations is well demonstrated in the photographs (figs 3.3, 3.4, 4.12) showing site A at the beginning of the trench in 1961 and a year later. Figure 3.7 shows the extent of the Middle Bronze Age architecture recovered from this area, leading Kenyon to envisage a fortified settlement dating back to the eighteenth–seventeenth centuries bce. Prag reviews this evidence in the light of more recent interpretations (pp. 15–9), concluding that the massive wall NB does date to this phase, but did not form part of a defensive circuit around the town. This careful approach is taken elsewhere in chapter 3, finishing with a helpful summary of Kenyon's achievements in the reconstruction of Bronze Age and Iron Age Jerusalem (p. 61). Chapter 4 is subdivided into four phases of “transition” from the Hasmonean through to the Crusader period. The author examines the extent to which primary textual evidence is reflected in the archaeological record, particularly in relation to the phases of destruction and depopulation of the city. Chapter 5 deals with Ayyubid and Mamluk rule over Jerusalem (1187–1516). These centuries have left a rich archaeological record, along with abundant standing architecture, and some of the most interesting observations in this chapter deal with the economic life of the city, and its participation – facilitated by its status as a pilgrimage site – in international trading networks. This is particularly evident during the Mamluk sultanate, a time of substantial investment in the built environment.

This concise book is not intended to replace the final reports from Kenyon's excavations, but represents a useful companion to them. Chapters 3–5 offer a perceptive assessment of the archive, while exhibiting a mastery of the recent literature. Admiration for Kenyon's achievements does not cloud Prag's judgement of the wider archaeological evidence, and the reader is presented with a finely balanced view of competing modern interpretations. This is valuable given that some questions in the city's history cannot be resolved conclusively on the basis of the current evidence. Prag demonstrates the potential of “archival archaeology”, though this reader was left wanting further engagement with the methodological difficulties raised by the recovery, or “re-excavating” of information from such sources. These go beyond simply practical problems like transcribing notes and the storage of digital files, and require the researcher to uncover implicit assumptions or prejudices of the original excavators and, potentially, to formulate speculative interpretations that take account of missing or contradictory data. A concluding chapter, drawing upon Prag's deep experience of working with archival material, could have offered valuable guidance to researchers contemplating similar projects.