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Abstract

The history of biblical archaeology and of the archaeology of the Near East has been the subject of many publications until now. Those histories usually offer the reader a detailed account of progressive facts on a long and linear chronology, in which England stares as the main character, later losing its role to the United States. Besides those totalising explanations, there are other ways to interpret the history of Western archaeological interest in the Near East. In this thesis, the emphasis lays upon Germany, which is traditionally attributed a secondary role. German’s peculiar relation to the Orient, as the only western country to settle in Palestine even in the 19th century, or as the only western country to adopt a friendly position towards the Ottoman rulers, allowed German scientific exploration to develop under unique conditions. While studying the development of German archeological interest in Palestine from 1871 to 1945, I intend to present a different perspective on this scenario of western competition for the Holy Land.