The Old Testament books had no reason to describe the contemporary political and social history of the people of Israel, which leaves data in this field incomplete and mostly fortuitous. The scholar of specific issues, such as the royal administration, lacks sufficient sources to describe the administration in Israel and Judah over a period of more than four centuries. To clarify this matter we draw on epigraphic sources from Palestine and its vicinity, and also on archaeological finds and inscriptions which began to appear in the nineteenth and twentieth century, especially the second half of the latter. North-West Semitic epigraphy in general, and Hebrew epigraphy in particular, provide a reservoir of data which renew our knowledge of the Old Testament and add important historical material, previously unknown about state, society, economy and religion. We have here a huge quantity of data about the administration in Israel and Judah. - Introduction.