How to Save Money on the New Archaeological Encyclopedia

009

They’re all here. Kenyon, Mazar and Avigad on Jerusalem, Yadin on Hazor, Aharoni on Beer-Sheva, Dever on Gezer, Callaway on Ai, Wright on Shechem, Pritchard on Gibeon, and on and on.

With an appropriately ponderous and descriptive title, The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land will eventually comprise four volumes, the first two of which have already appeared in Israel.

The original Hebrew edition of the encyclopedia, published by the Israel Exploration Society in two volumes, appeared in 1970 and included sites on which work had begun before 1967. The English edition has been brought up-to-date through the end of 1971. For excavations since that time, one must still resort to the journals. While the Hebrew edition included descriptions of 160 sites, the English edition will include more than 180 sites.

In addition to sites, the encyclopedia includes a few composite articles on such subjects as churches, synagogues, monasteries and megaliths, and on areas such as the Golan, the Upper Galilee, the Jordan Valley and the Plain of Accho. However, no articles are included on non-site aspects of archaeology in the Holy Land. Thus, the encyclopedia contains no separate discussion of seals, fortifications, pottery, burial grounds, excavation methods, gates, inscriptions, etc. Geographically, the work is confined to the ancient Holy land, Eretz Yisroel. These borders give the encyclopedia somewhat arbitrary geographical limits but any borders would do this, unless the encyclopedia were to cover the entire ancient world.

As might be expected, the quality of the articles varies with the writer. Some authors have stressed stratigraphy and chronology, others have emphasized the finds or the historical and cultural aspects of the site. However, almost without exception, the articles are primarily descriptive, rather than a discussion of problems or issues on which archaeologists have adopted differing views. Again as might be expected, each author’s opinion is presented without indication as to the degree of its acceptance—even when the majority of scholars may be in opposition.

The pictures and plans are profuse, although the quality of the reproductions is not high. A number of color plates—also of mediocre quality—are unfortunately included with articles to which they do not relate.

But for all its limitations and faults the new encyclopedia will be an indispensable tool. It organizes in one place the primary materials on which Holy Land archaeology bases its contribution to knowledge. Later in one’s own study, the reader may view these materials through a historical prism or from the viewpoint of their contribution to our understanding of the Bible, but here they are viewed in themselves: This is what we have found thus far in the ground.

No one will want to read this—or any other—encyclopedia like a book. Its style for the most part is dry, scientific, and factual. But it does give a comprehensive view, an overall picture that can be obtained in few other ways. You browse through it. You note the major sites and the dozens of smaller excavations. The more startling finds pop out at you. Here and there you stop to read, almost against your will. It does not matter whether you come to this set of books knowing little or much. As you survey the field, what you know stands out like familiar faces in a crowd. And a little more of the strange becomes familiar. It provides an organization, a structure on which to build.

Students will also find themselves turning to the encyclopedia to find the beginning of a solution to a multitude of archaeological problems. Especially useful in this respect are the comprehensive site bibliographies that accompany each article.

Unfortunately or fortunately, the rapid pace of archaeological discovery is likely to 010make this major work less complete and therefore less reliable within a few years. Perhaps a quadrennial or quinquennial supplement can be issued every four or five years to keep the encyclopedia up to date. The Israel Exploration Society should already be working on such a supplement, since the present work, as noted above, takes the story only through 1971.

Which brings us to the practical question of how to buy the new encyclopedia. It will be offered for sale in the United States by Prentice-Hall publishers, which will sell it as a set only—$100 for the four volumes. The four-volume set should be available in this way within the next six months. By agreement with Prentice-Hall, the Israel Exploration Society is forbidden from selling the encyclopedia in the United States except to its members. Thus members of the Society—but members only—may order the volumes separately from the Society as they come out—the first two volumes being already available. In addition, Society members are entitled to a 25% reduction on all Society publications, which includes the new encyclopedia. Moreover the price of each volume in Israel is only 120 Israeli pounds. With the members 25% reduction, the price of each volume is only 90 Israeli pounds, or about $11 per volume. Careful readers of The Biblical Archaeology Review will recall the recent offer which the Israel Exploration Society made to BAR subscribers to join the Society at a 15% reduction (that is, for $10 instead of $12), which includes a subscription to the Israel Exploration Journal.

The upshot is that by taking advantage of the Society’s offer to Biblical Archaeology Review subscribers, you can join the Society for $10, get a $56 reduction on the new 4-volume encyclopedia, receive the early volumes before they are available in the United States, and get the Israel Exploration Journal thrown in for nothing. Not a bad deal.

They’re all here. Kenyon, Mazar and Avigad on Jerusalem, Yadin on Hazor, Aharoni on Beer-Sheva, Dever on Gezer, Callaway on Ai, Wright on Shechem, Pritchard on Gibeon, and on and on.
With an appropriately ponderous and descriptive title, The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land will eventually comprise four volumes, the first two of which have already appeared in Israel.