The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land
This outstanding reference work is the updated and enlarged edition of the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (Prentice-Hall, c.1976-1978, ed. Michael Avi-Yonah). In this new edition, which keeps to the alphabetical arrangement of the earlier work, some 420 sites are included, many of them newly excavated, with coverage extended to work done through 1991. Over 200 archaeologists contributed articles to this edition. Whenever possible, the latest archaeologist to have excavated a site has been asked to write the entry. Material written by deceased major excavators, including Albright, Kenyon, and Yadin, have been retained except where information was out of date. As in the earlier edition, there are also subject entries (i.e., "churches" and "synagogues") and geographical regions (i.e., "Negev" and "Sinai"). In the writing included from the earlier edition, language has frequently been made more specific, if somewhat less lyrical; yet the larger type of the earlier edition, along with more spacious layouts, made reading more comfortable. These are minor considerations, however, compared with what this work achieves. Sir Flinders Petrie, who carried out the first scientifically excavated dig in Palestine at Tel el-Hesi in 1890, would no doubt be amazed and gratified with the superbly meticulous work done here in gathering and organ izing the findings of the following 100 years of archaeological work in the area. Scholars and researchers will find this reference set indis pensable.- Joan Gartland, Detroit P.L.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.