Books in Brief
Digging Up the Bible
Moshe Pearlman
(William Morrow and Co., Inc., 1980) 240 pages, $19.95
Moshe Pearlman, a prolific and talented writer of popular history books, has published a fascinating account of the work Biblical archaeologists have accomplished in the last one hundred and fifty years. Once begun, Digging Up the Bible is a difficult book to put down. The well-paced narrative and evocative 100 black and white and 17 color photographs pique the reader’s interest, encouraging him to read for just another page or two.
The absorbing tale of Biblical archaeology as told by Pearlman includes the human interest stories which lie behind the momentous finds of the past century and a half. The story of the discovery and rescue of the Mesha Stele in 1868, the recovery and translation of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls by Eliezer Sukenik and his son Yigael Yadin, the education and perspicacity of Flinders Petrie, and the ingenuity and brilliance of the first code cracker of ancient writing, Jean Francois Champollion, all come alive in Pearlman’s narrative.
For an amateur archaeologist, Digging Up the Bible is not just a fascinating tale, but it is also instructive. Basic Biblical archaeology terms such as tel are explained with clarity and precision. The nature and importance of various dating techniques are also elucidated for the non-professional. The reader is witness to the astounding technical progress achieved in archaeological methodology from camels and measuring rods to helicopters and speed cameras.
Psalmist With a Camera
Gail Rubin
(Abbeville Press, 1979) 116 pp., $14.95
Psalmist With a Camera is Gail Rubin’s posthumous poetic tribute to Israel’s natural beauty. Rubin’s photographic essay is a collection of forty-eight sensitively rendered color photographs illustrating the flora and fauna of her adopted country.
The vivid colors and images of Rubin’s subjects are undisturbed by the text which appears on their opposite pages. Based on Rubin’s own statements about her subjects, the text details the habits and idiosyncracies of different plants and creatures. Biblical quotations, related to each subject, complement the text.
The book is divided by geographic regions—from the Hai Bar Nature reserve south of the Dead Sea where the nearly extinct oryx now roams, to the Sinai desert where ancient ostrich rock drawings are preserved. One chapter is devoted to striking photographs of the distinctive hues and patterns of eucalyptus tree bark.
Rubin died March 11, 1978, shot by terrorists as she photographed birds on an Israeli Mediterranean beach.
Music in the Ancient World
Haifa Music Museum and Amli Library
(1979) 140 pp., $7.00
Music in the Ancient World is a rare catalogue—one which is so attractive that it invites the reader to browse. From the full-color cover picture of an Iron Age pottery figurine of a woman beating a timbrel, to the back cover color photo of a wood and ram’s horn lyre, the small (6 ½” × 8”) paperback volume is filled with illustrations of instruments.
Following a brief introduction by Haifa Music Museum Director Moshe Gorali, the catalogue examines the musical remains of Mesopotamia, Israel, Egypt, and Greece.
The musical artifacts, some originals and some reconstructions, are organized according to the following categories: instruments which produce sounds by themselves (idiophones) such as bells or rattles; those which are played by drumming on stretched hide (membranophones) such as a drum; instruments which are played by blowing through them (aerophones) such as flutes; and finally those which are stringed (chordophones) such as harps or lutes. A short bilingual Hebrew/English text describes each piece, often accompanied by a photograph.
A unique and beautiful reference work, Music in the Ancient World, is now available for the first time directly from BAR, and is offered in the gift catalogue bound in this issue.
The Catacombs: Rediscovered Monuments of Early Christianity
J. Stevenson
(Thames and Hudson, 1978) 179 pp. $16.95
Although similar texts have appeared over the past century, J. Stevenson’s update is the only one to contain photographs from the archives of the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, the present custodian of the catacombs. The 190 black and white photographs provide an excellent overview of catacomb art and archaeology. Unfortunately, they are poorly reproduced.
The history of the catacombs, their early development and their sixteenth century “rediscovery” are discussed extensively. Catacomb paintings representing Old and New Testament scenes are detailed and analyzed as are scenes which were used by “heretics and schismatics.” A chapter surveying catacombs in Naples, Syracuse, Tunisia and Malta contributes to the literature on subterranean cemeteries outside of Rome.
It is regrettable, however, that Mr. Stevenson did not include a report of work currently in progress, such as the exploration of new sections of catacombs and the restoration of galleries threatened by cave-ins. Nevertheless, Stevenson’s publication is a valuable, though not complete, collection of catacomb material.