Chandrasekhar, Subrahmanyan

"No Wonder That on This Spot God Spoke to Us": Intersection of Anglican Tourist-Pilgrims and Archaeology in British Mandate Palestine

“…Garstang recalled his first visits to Palestine to tour the archaeological sites in terms reminiscent of tourist-pilgrims: for example, he described how memories of the bible stories from his youth came alive as he drove around Palestine. 24 This anecdote suggests that the motivation of British archaeologists working in Palestine was not far removed from the motivation of tourist-pilgrims, and both tendencies indicate wider British cultural and religious connection with Palestine as the Holy Land. Garstang's subsequent publications and work in Palestine predominantly focused on biblical archaeology, as seen with his series of articles entitled "Digging Sacred Soil," which promoted the work of the DoA; 25 his later work's ties to biblical connections; 26 and particularly his work at Jericho with Sir Charles Marston, a wealthy British industrialist who funded archaeology in Palestine to help prove the truth of the bible.…”

“…72 John Garstang echoed this sentiment in recalling how visits to historic sites "awaken[ed] in me long dormant memories of the Bible stories heard in my youth." 73 Yet the appeal of archaeological tourism in Palestine for British tourists also relied on the ability to see ancient, biblical Palestine in modern comfort. As much as Palestine was sold via a barrage of biblified and orientalized imagery as a land that time forgot, it was also marketed as a land of contrasts in which the increasingly rapid pace of development under the British Mandate was highlighted.…”