Eilat Mazar - Approach

Approach

Mazar's Bible-inspired approach has been a source of contention between her and other secular archaeologists.

According to Mazar herself,

I work with the Bible in one hand and the tools of excavation in the other, and I try to consider everything.

However, Israel Finkelstein and other archaeologists from Tel Aviv University have flagged concern that, with reference to her 2006 dating of the Large Stone Structure,

The biblical text dominates this field operation, not archaeology. Had it not been for Mazar’s literal reading of the biblical text, she never would have dated the remains to the 10th century BCE with such confidence.

and regarding her identification of the city wall at the site at that time,

As she admits, the chronological data recovered in her excavations indicate that the sole Iron Age fortification system extending in this area was in use during the 8th−7th centuries BCE. However, according to the biblical sources the Solomonic city-wall must have passed here, hence the fortification system in question must be Solomonic in date.

Mazar was also cautioned by one epigrapher following the 2008 confusion over the inscription on the Shelomit seal,

In the mad dash to report biblical artifacts to the public or connect discoveries with the most obscure persons or events reported in the Bible, there is sometimes a tendency to compromise the analytical caution that objects of such value so dearly deserve.