On Method:

Those who use archaeology to interpret New Testament texts run the risk of reintroducing past problems: Orientalist underpinnings that assume that the Mediterranean is static, unexamined feelings about the numinous nature of an object, the idea that archaeology gives a clear window onto the past. In addition, “biblical archaeology” has often served historical positivism, with object or inscription used to “prove” some biblical text or character. Yet, despite these problems in “biblical archaeology,” archaeological materials are necessary for a full study of antiquity. Evidence from material culture allows for a deeper understanding of local contexts and fuller, if imperfect, information about the lives of the less than elite. Moreover, by paying attention to material culture, we enter into a larger conversation about how to write history, particularly in conversation with feminist materialist historiography and recent theories that take seriously the idea that objects themselves have agency.