Frontmatter -- Table of contents -- I. The Great Monarchy: Biblical and Archaeological Perspectives on David and Solomon -- A Great United Monarchy? Archaeological and Historical Perspectives -- Archaeology and the Biblical Narrative: The Case of the United Monarchy -- Solomon and the United Monarchy: Some Textual Evidence -- Elders or Youngsters? Critical Remarks on 1 Kings 12 -- 'What Share Do We Have in David...?' - Ben Sira's Perspectives on 1 Kings 12 -- II. The Cult Centralization in Its Near Eastern Context: Perspectives on Hezekiah and Josiah -- The Idea of Cultic Centralization and Its Supposed Ancient Near Eastern Analogies -- Cult Centralization in the Ancient Near East? Conceptions of the Ideal Capital in the Ancient Near East -- Perspectives on Southern Israel's Cult Centralization: Arad and Beer-scheba -- Why the Cult Reforms in Judah Probably Did not Happen -- III. The Ancient City: Perspectives on the Political and Cultural Interrelations at Beth Shean -- Tel Beth-Shean: History and Archaeology -- Nysa-Scythopolis: Ethnicity and Religion -- Beth Shean/Scythopolis in Late Antiquity: Cult and Culture, Continuity and Change -- IV. The One and The Only: Perspectives on the Development of a Divine Concept -- God and His People: The Concept of Kingship and Cult in the Ancient Near East -- YHWH in the Northern and Southern Kingdom -- From Many Gods to the One God: The Archaeological Evidence -- Monotheism and Angelology in Daniel -- Justice, the King and the Gods: Polytheism and Emerging Monotheism in the Ancient World -- Backmatter.