This volume describes the lifecycle events and daily life activities experienced by girls and women in ancient Israel.

This volume describes the lifecycle events and daily life activities experienced by girls and women in ancient Israel examining recent biblical scholarship and other textual evidence from the ancient Near East and Egypt including archaeological, iconographic and ethnographic data. From this Ebeling creates a detailed, accessible description of the lives of women living in the central highland villages of Iron Age I (ca. 1200-1000 BCE) Israel. The book opens with an introduction that provides a brief historical survey of Iron Age (ca. 1200-586 BCE) Israel, a discussion of the problems involved in using the Hebrew Bible as a source, a rationale for the project and a brief narrative of one woman's life in ancient Israel to put the events described in the book into context. It continues with seven thematic chapters that chronicle her life, focusing on the specific events, customs, crafts, technologies and other activities in which an Israelite female would have participated on a daily basis.

"The unique contribution of this work is Ebeling's creative approach... Women's Lives in Biblical Times will be a valuable tool not only in college and seminary classrooms, but also within congregations." - Interpretation

"This book will be valuable to any reader who wants to understand more about the life of women in ancient Israel. It will appeal to readers who have read popular fictions or viewed modern films involving biblical characters, to students and teachers of courses dealing with women in the Bible, and to scholars who are interested in an in-depth scholarly treatment of the topic." - Religious Studies Review

"Women's Lives in Biblical Times presents a well-researched, thought-provoking discussion of the private and communal lives of ancient peoples" - The European Legacy: Towards New Paradigms, vol. 19

"[...] This book offers a good, readable introduction into the biblical daily life - many of the traditions were not confined to the early Iron Age. [...] In the discursive parts I would have liked to see more proof of archaeological sources and a critical engagement with the historical value as a source of the biblical texts. [...] Despite these limitations, the book does offer a good insight into daily life and culture." - I. Müllner, Kassel, Zietschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 2014, issue 126