Even Briefer
Architecture of Petra
Judith McKenzie
(Oxford Univ. Press, 1990)
As early as 1866 similarities between architecture at Petra and that depicted in murals at Pompeii were noted. This volume—the first of a new series on archaeology—indicates that both sites reflect the architecture in the Alexandria of the Ptolemys (c. 305–30 B.C.E.). The author tackles the previously unsolved problem of the date of many of the famous monuments of Petra as well as that of little-known remains at Alexandria. Includes over 700 black-and-white photos, figures and maps, and a detailed catalogue of Petra’s main monuments.
Harper Concise Atlas of the Bible
James B. Pritchard, editor
(Times Books, 1991)
This more compact, less expensive ($30.00) version of the Harper Atlas (reviewed in Books in Brief, BAR 16:04) packs over 250 maps, site reconstructions and color photos into 150 pages. Clarity and brevity are emphasized by the rewritten text and by maps that combine information contained in several maps of the larger book. Access is speeded by two indexes, one of Biblical references and another of personal names. A short bibliography makes additional information easy to find.
Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East
Victor H. Matthews and Don C. Benjamin
(Paulist Press, 1991)
Source texts that give Mesopotamia’s story of a great flood, an Egyptian tale resembling that of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, Assyria’s version of the baby in the basket and Babylon’s laws concerning murder, theft, kidnapping and sexual abuse—plus many other laws and stories—are gathered in one place for easy accessibility. The texts are grouped according to their similarity to parts of the Hebrew Scriptures. Each section has a brief introduction explaining its history and context. An appendix outlines Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Israelite history and includes a chart identifying six ways ancient Near Eastern texts parallel Biblical texts, including genre, plot and historical event.