ABSTRACT
Monumental architecture is something that is often discussed in the archaeology of ancient Israel but seldom defined. The same is true for monuments in ancient Israel. Following recent directions in anthropological archaeology, this chapter defines both and incorporates the concept of monumentality to discuss where value and significance lay in ancient Israel. Buildings and small objects had both functional and symbolic aspects. It is only by considering both that it becomes possible to plumb the depths of the biblical text for those features that carried exceptional value and to speak of the monumental in the archaeological record.
