Biblical archaeology is the discipline occupied with the scientific investigation and recovery of the material remains of past cultures that can illuminate the times and descriptions of the Bible, a broad swathe of time between 2000 BC and 100 AD.[6][need quotation to verify] Other authors prefer to talk about the "archaeology of Palestine" and to define the relevant territories as those to the east and west of the River Jordan.[citation needed] This indicates that "biblical archaeology" or that of Palestine is circumscribed by the territories that were the backdrop to the bulk of the biblical stories.