A New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land

Abstract

This work is a truly splendid and remarkable achievement. It greatly enlarges and brings up to date the Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land , 4 vols, 1975–8, edited by the late Michael Avi-Jonah and by Ephraim Stern, on whom the prophet's mantle has now fallen. It provides a detailed catalogue raisonne of all the archaeological excavations in the Holy Land. This is defined in a pragmatic way, that is to say, the ancient Palestine, and so modern Israel and Jordan, some parts of Lebanon and Syria under Israeli control, and a number of sites in the Sinai peninsula. Given that in Israel archaeology is a national hobby, and that numerous foreign agencies are likewise at work, British, French, German, Italian and United States as well as others, such an encyclopaedia can only mark a stage in Holy Land archaeology, for it is of its nature an on-going process.